Gardening in January

Now the Christmas festivities are over we can start January afresh and prepare for a new gardening year. It may seem that the garden is asleep but there are lots of jobs you can still do.

If you have the space growing vegetables or fruit is a must. You cannot beat home grown vegetables for freshness and taste. In January Potatoes, Onion and Garlic sets arrive in the Garden Centre. They usually sell quickly so be sure to come early to avoid the risk of your favourites selling out. There are three main types of Potatoes, First Earlies, Second Earlies, and Main Crops. All the tubers should be un-netted and placed in trays with the eyes uppermost, as soon as you get them home. Put the tray in a cool place away from frost so the sprouts can grow to 1cm or more. Plant the sprouting tubers in pots outdoors or the ground from the end of March. All potatoes will grow well in free draining soil so ensure good drainage if growing in pots. If growing in the ground mulch with soil conditioner or garden compost to suppress weed growth. Some varieties to try include:

• Caledonian Pearl an early potato that’s easy to grow with yellow flesh a waxy texture and very good flavour harvested in June. High yield.

• Charlotte the best potato to grow for its oblong shape yellow waxy flesh and great flavour. It is a second early harvested in July but can be left in the ground to mature until September.

• Kestrel is a slug resistant second early potato with a good flavour ideal for baking, chipping and boiling. Harvested in July it has good disease resistance.

• Caledonian Pearl is a good red rose coloured main crop potato easy to grow and high yielding. Good for boiling, baking, roasties and wedges. Harvested September.

• Cara is an old favourite with high yields disease resistance and the ability to tolerate drought. It has a sweet flavour ideal for baking boiling chipping and stores well.

Dig the Veg Patch roughly to allow the frosts to break the soil to a fibrous tilth adding farmyard manure where you do not plant root vegetables.
It is also the perfect time to sow Broad Beans in a cold greenhouse. Sow individually in Jacks Magic compost in 10cm pots or cells ready to plant in rows on the Veg Patch in March. Protect winter cabbages with netting to stop the pigeons eating them before you.

In the ornamental garden Sarcococca humilis is an evergreen shrub that is prized for its compact growing habit and intense perfume in January. Grow it in a pot by a path or the front door where the scent can be enjoyed whenever you walk past. Viburnum tinus is very easy to grow with red-pink flowers covering this evergreen continuously from September to March. It grows to 1.8cm high and provides great cover for nesting birds protecting them from predators. They can also be grown as a standard and half standard lollypop shapes like Bay Trees and are much hardier in winter.

Skimmia Rubella produces masses of red berry-like buds which contrast with the evergreen foliage on small bushes throughout winter. They open in spring to small creamy clusters of sweetly scented flowers. They grow well in shade in pots or the border in lime free compost. Skimmia. Rubella is a male form whose flowers will pollinate any female variety of Skimmia to produce lots of red berries that last for many months.

Mahonia Winter Sun has wonderful Lily of the Valley scented yellow flowers that grow in long panicles from late autumn until spring. The foliage is very architectural too with spikey Holly like leaves arranged on stems circling around the main branches. They are very easy to grow and are best planted in the ground accepting all free draining soils. Other good varieties include M. Japonica, M. Bealii and M. Soft Caress.

Euonymus japonica Green Rocket and Euonymus japonica Jean Hugues are easy to grow with a neat upright habit, a good replacement for the caterpillar ravaged box hedges. There is also a variegated variety Euonymus microphylla Aureovariegata with bright yellow and green variegated leaves which can be grown in sun or shade in a pot surrounded by Primroses, Violas and dwarf spring bulbs.

Picea pungens Edith is a conifer with bright icy blue needle leaves that maintain their brightness all year. It was awarded the RHS Award of Garden Merit and makes for a very good Christmas tree.

Enjoy the cold crisp winter days pottering in the garden and add some of these great plants to it as well. Also don’t forget to feed and give fresh water to our much loved feathered friends who also enjoy our gardens.