Vegetable Garden in January – What To Do In Yours

The hustle and bustle of the festive period is over, and we’re moving into what is often the coldest month. Even though the weather is chilly, take some time to enjoy any winter sunshine as the days begin to grow ever so slightly longer. There is a welsh saying that describes the light returning – Cam Ceiliog – Ceiliog means cockerel, cam is a step or a stride, and cam ceiliog describes the way in which the light draws out after the Winter solstice. It happens by small but sure degrees, not in one giant leap. It will come back, and the journey will be beautiful.

If you’re wondering what to do in the garden this month, we’ve got you covered! Read on to find out what to do in the vegetable garden in January.

What To Do In The Vegetable Garden In January

Tidying & Maintenance

Tidying is the main theme of the January garden. Use your new year enthusiasm and get cleaning! Now is the perfect time to prepare your garden for the months ahead.

• Recycle your Christmas tree. Shred it and then you can use it for mulch, or to help with muddy paths.
• Clean any pots ready for spring.
• Prune apple and pear trees. This needs to be done whilst the trees are still dormant. Likewise now is the time to prune blackcurrants, gooseberries and redcurrant bushes. We will do a post in the next few weeks on pruning.
• If you’re planning on growing early peas, first you’ll need to prepare the ground. Place a cloche over the soil for a few weeks before sowing. This will warm up the soil prior to planting.
• Weeding! It’s boring work but needs to be done. Get a head start on any weeds and get rid of them as they come up.
• Move perennial plants that have outgrown their space. Plants should be moved when dormant, using a spade root prune the plant first by slicing the soil in a cirlce around the plant you want to move, roughly 15cm-30cm away from the crown. This will cut the roots cleanly, rather that liofting and breaking them. Plant the crown back into its new place, the plant will start growing new roots as the soil heats up.

In The Greenhouse and Container Garden

• Have you cleaned out your greenhouse yet? Now is a perfect time! Cleaning will help reduce the risk of disease. Furthermore, you’ll feel ready and prepared for spring!
• Get your seed sowing area in order, and buy some compost! It’s selling out so quickly in the current climate, so don’t hoard, just buy what you think you will need.
• Remove any heavy snow that may have fallen on top of the greenhouse. (After you’ve made a snowman of course!)
• Order your seeds, or arrange a seed swap with neighbours.

Harvesting & Growing

• If you’ve grown leeks and parsnips, now is the perfect time to harvest them.
• Artichokes, Brussels Sprouts, winter cabbages and carrots should also be harvested this month.
• Sow seed indoors for early crops eg: lettuces, summer brassicas (e.g. cabbages and cauliflowers), spinach, salad onions and turnips, chillis, parsnips, celeriac, broad beans. We start things quite early as we have lots of space with heated benches, so you can delay sowing until things become a little warmer.

Other Jobs

• Feed winter birds! Don’t forget to also wash the bird feeder beforehand.
• If you have stored fruit and veg, give them a check to make sure there are no signs of decay.
• Plan your spring garden! Consider factoring in crop rotation to this years planning. As a result you can prevent pests and diseases from accumulating in the soil.

To Conclude – The Vegetable Garden in January

This month sees a lot of tidying and preparing for the ahead months. If you left out any jobs last month, now is the time to get them done! Furthermore, you can use this downtime to plan your garden for 2021.