Tips for January 2025

For early crops, sow onions, leeks, cauliflowers and lettuce under cover now.

Spray fruit trees with a plant oil winter wash if fruit aphids have been a problem before. Cover nearby grass and plants before spraying to avoid scorch.

Prune wisteria this month or next, shortening the same shoots that were pruned in summer back to two or three buds from older wood.

Inspect stored tubers, such as canna and dahlia for signs of rot. Throw out soft or unhealthy ones.

Trees (apart from Prunus Species) hedges can all be pruned now. You can see the branch structure better in winter. which helps when making cuts.

Start pruning black currants towards the end of the month. Cut out approximately one in three of the old stems near the base and remove any that have flopped on the ground.

Seed potatoes can be chitted from now onwards. Place in trays, boxes or recycled egg boxes. Store in a cool, light, frost free spot.

Plant bare root trees, shrubs and fruit as soon as you can. If the soil is frozen or too wet, put the plants in a bucket of moist compost and keep them in a cool, frost-free place.

Move Christmas flowering daffodils and hyacinths outdoors once blooms have finished. Remove spent flower heads and feed regularly with a high  potassium fertiliser until foliage dies down. Can be planted outdoors in the Spring.

Prune apple and pear trees. Remove dead, diseased or damaged branches, then shorten the previous years growth on main stems by a third. Cut away shoots in the centre to create an open shape.

Happy New Year