Gardening Jobs for January
Quick Check Gardening In January:
Enjoy the peace and calm of January. There is not a lot to do in the garden. Come February, things will begin to get busy.
It used to be the case that late autumn and winter were "tidy up" times in the garden. Traditionally, gardeners cut back perennials, swept away leaves, and tidied borders. The trend now is towards wildlife friendly, relaxed gardening.
We no longer consider leaves in the border the hazard they once were, harbouring all sorts of pests and diseases. Personally, I would not bother clearing off leaves; let the worms move them around, as they will take leaf litter down into the soil.
Exceptions when you might consider moving leaves:
Leaves on the lawn can cause die back to the grass underneath.
In a pond, leaves add to the nutrients, and that, in turn, can make a pond more green in the spring. Green ponds are tricky, but you can resolve a green pond. Clear off the leaves to keep the pond clear in the spring.
Make leaf mould: which is a great garden mulch and adds organic structure to the soil.
Many plants have died back, which makes it easier to see the perennial weeds. Winter is a good time to weed, there is less risk of standing on other plants or of damaging fresh shoots.
A mild spell in January is a suitable time to cut back Rosa Rugosa to take out any weak, spindly stems.
Many roses will have shed their leaves. If you had black spot during the previous summer, it is worth sweeping up and collecting any fallen rose leaves and disposing of them to reduce the spread of disease.
Prune climbing roses any time during Jan/feb in a mild spell. Remove old branches from the base to encourage new shoots. Prune out any crossing branches, dead or diseased and shorten side shoots by 2/3rds.
Before the worst of the weather arrives, protect tender plants, bringing them under cover. Plants such as tender evergreen Agapanthus, Zantedeschia (Calla lily) and Canna need either a good mulch or moving into a greenhouse. If you live in a mild part of the country, it may be enough to wrap the containers and/or mulch. The problem is our winters are less predictable and the Beast from the East struck nationwide in 2018, and such cold winds can be damaging.
Wisteria can be pruned at any time during January and February.
Winter bedding needs dead-heading just the same as summer bedding to prolong flowering. Dead head viola, Pansy cyclamen and they will reward with more flowers.
In some areas, where it is wetter and light levels are lower, it can be more difficult to get winter bedding to flourish. To overcome this, try growing winter bedding in a hanging basket. This lifts the plant higher in terms of light and out of the wet, chilly soil.
What is interesting is the garden doesn't sleep in winter. When you cut back a Sedum, the new shoots are revealed, already growing. If you are a tidy garden person, cut back the old growth on perennials. Equally perennials can be left unpruned until the spring as the foliage harbours many insects.
If you have black spot on Hellebores, as shown above, it's best to remove the diseased leaves. It may seem dramatic, but you really can remove many, if not most, of the leaves from Hellebores without causing the plants any difficulties at all. Some professional growers routinely remove the leaves to better display the flowers.
It is possible to sow some early seeds in January. Often, gardeners are bursting with enthusiasm to start sowing. Tempting it is, but there can be problems.
To sow anything in January, you need warmth and light. This means using heated propagator mats, additional grow lights or growing indoors on windowsills.
Bear in mind that everything you germinate early in the year, those young seedlings will need to grow on in the warm somewhere. The young plants cannot go outside, potentially for several months, which means you need plenty of space to grow the seedlings under glass to protect them. Everything you sow now/or buy from the garden centre as a plug plant will have to be grown under glass until the frost is over. If space is short, it's best to wait until later in the year.
A heated propagator mat is good if you want to get seedlings going early. The average conservatory/greenhouse is too cold to germinate seeds. One of the main problems growing seedlings at this time of year is not just the cold, but also low light levels. This can cause seedlings to be spindly and leggy. Often, light is from one side only, and the seedlings become leggy, growing towards the single source of light. It is often possible to salvage weedy seedlings. Wait until the seedlings are large enough to handle and can be potted on. When replanting the seedling, sink it low into the new pot so that most of the leggy bit is below the soil surface. If you like, bury the mistake and often the seedling with grow on with no obvious problems.
Two very different types of seeds are often grown in January.
Chilli seeds need a long growing season in order to fruit well. Chilli seeds need both heat and light to germinate and these will need to be grown indoors/in a heated greenhouse.
Sweet Peas can be germinated on a heated mat and once established are fine in an unheated greenhouse, lean to or under glass. They are hardy down to - 5C. Sowing early gives a head start for earlier planting out and flowers.
If you are over wintering plants or starting off new seedlings in the greenhouse, mildew and mould can be a problem. To reduce the risk of Botrytis, increase air flow. On mild days, ventilate the greenhouse by opening all the doors and vents. Also, raise pots off the ground to aid air flow and to reduce frost damage.
At first signs of disease move the plant out of the greenhouse to prevent spread.
Botrytis shows on the plant as soft grey mould and when you touch the plant, the mould showers off and the plant crumbles; move it away from other plants to reduce infection.
For plants being overwintered, it is important to reduce watering to a minimum, keeping the plant quite dry over the winter.
January is time to buy seed potatoes, and later in the month start chitting the first earlies. This is particularly the case if you garden in a sheltered or milder area of the country. If your garden is cold, wet or exposed, you may wish to move your gardening calendar forward a few weeks. The best way to start chitting potatoes is to place the potatoes on paper or in egg boxes in a cool place and leave for the shoots to appear. Keep the potatoes in a cool place out of direct sunlight, too much warmth will make leggy shoots.
Chitting takes about 6 weeks, by which time the shoots should be around 2.5cm long. Take care when handling and planting not to damage the shoots.