January

Seasonal Tips
Now is the time to browse through seed catalogues and websites and plan this year’s planting – whether it’s reliable old favourites or something new (maybe with some free seeds from Seedy Sunday).
This is the best time of year for improving soil quality with compost and manure, and tackling jobs like digging out brambles and other invasive weeds while they are dormant before they start to grow again in spring. 
Try to keep off the soil when it is wet or you may destroy the structure – if you need to stand on it use a plank to distribute your weight more evenly. 
If you are interested in improving the structure of our clay soil there is lots of information available on line.
Whetstone Stray is a haven for wildlife so don’t be surprised if your unnetted crops are eaten by hungry muntjac deer or pigeons.

  • Add organic material – compost or well-rotted manure – to your beds
  • Winter-prune apples and pears trees ( not stone fruits like plums and cherries) ) and gooseberry and currant bushes.
  • Check netting to keep off pigeons and muntjac deer.
  • Last chance to prune grape vines.
  • Add grease bands to the trunks of fruit trees to prevent winter moth caterpillars
  • Start ‘chitting’ potatoes by putting them in a single layer in egg boxes somewhere cool and light so the eyes will develop into shoots.
  • Force rhubarb by covering the crown with a special large pot or a pile straw to exclude the light . When the shoots reach the top of the pile – after about 4 weeks – remove the cover to reveal tender pale stems.
  • Check stakes, wires and ties on fruit buses fruit trees (so miniature rootstock) , and trees.
  • Clean pots and seed trays to prevent diseases and viruses from last year affecting your new seedlings.
  • Brush heavy snow off branches to prevent them from breaking.
  • Remove dead leaves from Brussels sprouts and cabbages or they can spread mould and downy mildew.
  • Plant fruit bushes and fruit trees (on dwarfing rootstock) if the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged.

For more information on what to do on your alloment at this time of year visit www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/in-month/january