It’s getting cold outside now so you’re going to need to keep busy to keep warm. The RHS recommend the following gardening tips for the winter months ahead.
November
- Clear up fallen leaves – especially from lawns, ponds and beds
- Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent water-logging
- Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display next year
- Prune roses to prevent wind-rock
- Plant out winter bedding
- Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem
- Insulate outdoor containers from frost – bubblewrap works well
- Stop winter moth damage to fruit trees using grease bands around the trunks
- Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden
- Use a seasonal bonfire – where this is allowed – to dispose of excess debris unfit for compostingDecember
- Check that greenhouse heaters are working
- Insulate outdoor taps and prevent ponds from freezing
- Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those trained against walls)
- Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding
- Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and remaining root crops
- Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted
- Take hardwood cuttings
- Keep mice away from stored produce
- Reduce watering of houseplantsJanuary
- Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch
- Clean pots and greenhouses ready for spring
- Dig over any vacant plots that have not been dug already
- Disperse worm casts in lawns
- Inspect stored tubers of Dahlia, Begonia and Canna for rots or drying out
- Prune apple and pear trees
- Start forcing rhubarb
- Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season
- Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds
- Make a polythene shelter for outdoor peaches and nectarines, to protect against peach leaf curl