For many of us January means cold days and even colder nights, not the most inspiring time to be taking up a spot of gardening. But as we reach the midpoint of winter this month, the days start getting longer which can mean only one thing: more growth in the garden. January really is a wonderful time to reconnect with the great outdoors, with so many parties and indoor christmas gatherings over the festive period, this month is the perfect time to and start gardening again. On those drier, slightly sunnier days there is nothing better than a good breath of fresh air and getting stuck in with some gardening jobs such as pruning, cleaning, feeding or keeping a check on any support stakes. So now that Christmas has been and gone, why not start thinking ahead to the new year and how you might like to spend a little more time caring for your beloved outdoor space – with the help of some of our top gardening tips for January, you might even enjoy it.
Gardening For Homegrown Crops
If you, like many green-fingered enthusiasts up and down the country, enjoy growing your own fruit, vegetables and herbs throughout the year, then January is a good time to brush up on your gardening skills. There are plenty of gardening jobs that need doing at this time of year to keep those crops growing to their very best, and optimise your chances of a fabulous array of homegrown produce over the coming year. For those enjoy growing trees such as apple or pear trees, January is a time where pruning becomes incredibly important to keep any dying or rogue branches and leaves in shape. It is also a good month to apply a protective barrier to fruit trees and bushes, such as a winter wash, as well as an effective nutrient fertiliser such as sulphate of potash. If you are a fan of rhubarb, January is a good time to being ‘forcing’, a method of encouraging growth by covering the crowns with a layer of bracken or straw and then covering. If you're feeling a little adventurous and are growing outdoor peaches and nectarines this year, then part of your gardening plans for January will need to include the rather speedy preparation of a polythene shelter, which will not only help to encourage growth but can also be very effective at protecting from the pesky peach leaf curl. Looking at the year ahead, January is also the perfect time to sit down and formulate a plan, especially when it comes to vegetable crop rotations for the seasons ahead of you.
Wildlife and Winter Gardening
Although winter may seem like the season of hibernation, there are plenty of creatures that will find your garden a little haven of nutrition and shelter, and these can be fantastic to watch. This month why not incorporate wildlife into your gardening plans – this can be as simple as leaving water and food out for birds, who may be struggling to find enough to survive. Here at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres we have a wide range of bird and wildlife products for you to choose from. Our friendly team are on hand to help you find the right options for you, and with a little work now you’ll soon be enjoying the magical sights of some beautiful bird species in your garden.
Winter Sowing and Planting
If the weather outside doesn't appeal to you, use the opportunity to think about growing some fabulous plants and crops for the year ahead. In January, you can bring your gardening indoors and put your gardening plans into action with some beautiful new plant species – if you have a heated propagator then find a little quiet time to sow some seeds of Salvia, Lobelia, Begonia, Sweet Peas and Pelargonium. Getting a head start on your gardening now will give you a better chance of seeing some beautiful blooms come spring, so it really is worth doing this month. Of course, some gardeners love nothing more than the satisfaction of growing a crop from seed, and so this January why not try starting seeds off in your garden building such as a shed, greenhouse or summerhouse. Here at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres we recommend trying some summer brassicas such as cabbages and cauliflowers, as well as vegetables such as lettuce, spinach, turnips and salad onions. Sowing aside, January is also a good time to pay attention to other slightly larger gardening jobs, like planting bare root hedging (as long as the ground is not frozen, of course).
General Gardening Jobs
With a whole host of different weather elements hitting your garden this month, you will find yourself easily busied with gardening maintenance jobs that you may not have even given a second thought to over the Christmas period. If you have any garden pots lying around in a greenhouse or perhaps just in the garden generally, take a little time this month to give them a good clean out in time for spring, so you are ready to take on the new season with ease. When looking around your garden this January, take a closer look at any vacant plots that might be staring back at you. The beginning of the year is a great time to dig over these areas and start covering over with some high quality organic matter, to help improve soil quality and give your garden a better chance at success in 2020. Of course this month there is also one very important festive job to be carried out, the successful and sometimes rather awkward disposal of your beloved Christmas tree. Bringing a living tree into your house over the festive period can certainly be a magical experience, but the removal should ideally be as environmentally friendly as possible. With a little research it shouldn't be too hard to find a nearby service that will be happy to take your tree off your hands, and shred it down to be used for mulch, so explore these options before throwing it out.
January at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres
Here at Tates of Sussex we are more than just garden centres – in fact our team of green-fingered enthusiasts have years of experience in all things gardening, going beyond most garden centres to offer our customers a range of services and guidance. If the arrival 2020 has sparked your gardening imagination and has got you thinking about a few upgrades to your garden, then look no further than Tates of Sussex Garden Centres. We are very excited to announce the arrival of our ex-display sale which brings huge reductions on a huge range of our garden buildings, perfect for a gardener on the lookout for a bargain in the January Sales. This sale is currently only available at our Paradise Park garden centre, so be sure to take a trip if you would like to grab yourself the perfect new addition to your garden this year. If a new garden building is on the cards we are also offering 20% off our superb quality Malvern Sheds and Summer Houses, as well as 5% off our greenhouses. Here at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres we stock a range of gardening products and our friendly team are on hand to provide useful gardening tips to help get you going. We even have a fully comprehensive plant finder to help our customers make the right decisions when it comes to finding the right plant species for their gardens. If you would like any further advice with your gardening needs please do not hesitate to get in touch and a member of our friendly staff will be more than happy to speak with you.
