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Gardening jobs for January
It's time to buy seed potatoes, feed fruit plants and plant bare-root plants in January
It may be cold outside but getting out into the garden is great way to be active after being holed up indoors over Christmas. There are also the first flowers of the year to enjoy, many of which are scented.
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Gardening maintenance for January
Top up paths
Topping up gravel or bark paths is one of those jobs that gets neglected at busier times of year and is good to do in cold weather as lifting and raking will warm you up. Remove any weeds beforehand and replace edging boards if necessary. Wood chips work well for paths in veg gardens and allotments - you can often get them for free from local tree surgeons.
Weeding
The joy of weeding at this time of year is that the ground stays clear and you feel like you’re getting somewhere. It’s best to dig out the weeds rather than hoe them, as the damp soil means that weeds that are hoed could resprout.
Prevent weeds with best weed suppressing membranes
Feed birds
In severe weather, the RSPB advises putting out high-energy (high fat) food for birds twice daily, in the morning and early afternoon, to keep up with demand. Don’t overfill feeders if birds aren’t using them, as stale food can cause problems. Water is important too so keep your bird bath topped up and break the ice in cold weather. Wash your feeders and bird baths once a week to help prevent birds getting sick.
Fat balls are a popular choice for feeding birds during winter as they are a high-energy food. Discover the best fat balls for birds from our expert tests.
Grow-your-own-veg jobs for January
Buy seed potatoes
The early bird catches the worm, and the early shopper catches the best range of potato varieties. Look out for 'potato days' at local garden centres or gardens; these usually offer a great choice of potatoes to buy, plus expert advice.
Choose potatoes without long shoots or any signs of mould. When you get them home, tip them out of the bag into a seed tray or an old egg box and leave them in a cool, light place until you plant them, otherwise known as chitting potatoes. This will discourage the sprouts from growing too long.
Discover how to grow potatoes and the best varieties
Feed fruit plants
Give the fruit trees and bushes in your garden a boost by sprinkling sulphate of potash around the base of the plants and gently hoeing it into the soil surface - be careful not to damage any roots near the surface. It's a good idea to mulch around the plants afterwards to conserve moisture in the soil.
Feeding will provide the potash they need to flower and fruit well. Check the fertiliser packaging and apply at the recommended rate; don't be tempted to add extra as it could damage the plant.
Discover how to grow raspberries and the best varieties
Plants-and-flowers jobs for January
Order seeds and plants
To be sure of getting the varieties you want, make sure you place your seed and plant orders with mail-order companies sooner rather than later. For plants you can reply on to perform well, try our Best Buy varieties of both ornamental plants and veg.
Find out which are the best places to buy seeds and plants online
Avoid hellebore leaf spot
This common fungal disease causes round, brown spots on the leaves and stems of hellebores.
The best advice is remove any infected growth that you find. Ashwood Nurseries, which specialises in hellebores among other plants, recommends cutting off all the foliage, diseased or not, to help stop the new season's growth becoming infected with the fungus. It will also stop the leaves obscuring the flowers are they emerge. Just be careful not to cut off the emerging flower buds by mistake.
Here's our handy guide on how to grow hellebores.
Plant a bare-root tree
Whether you're planting an ornamental tree or a fruiting one it's a good time of year to do it, as deciduous plants are dormant and you can buy them bare root (ie not in a pot), which is cheaper and better for the environment as it doesn't involve peat or plastic in their production. Many mail-order nurseries specialise in selling trees this way. You can also find roses and hedging sold this way.
When they arrive in the post, plant them as soon as you can. If you have to wait (because the weather is wet, for example), dig the garden and put in the tree, ready to lift for when you can plant it properly.
Dig the planting hole no deeper than the roots, but at least twice their spread. Place the plant in the hole and spread the roots out. Then refill with soil, gently pushing down while you're doing it to eliminate any air pockets.