January
In The Fruit Garden This January
Prune your currant plants and gooseberries now to maintain a productive framework of healthy branches.
Force rhubarb plants by placing and upturned bucket or bin over the crown. The tender pink stems will be ready in about 8 weeks time.
Prune apple and pear trees if you haven’t done so already. It’s best done during the winter while the plants are still dormant. Aim to create an open frame of branches in a goblet shape.
Leave stone fruit trees like plums, cherries and apricots alone until the summer. Pruning them now will only make the susceptible to silver leaf fungal infections.
Continue to plant raspberry canes on sunny sites with free draining soil.
Top Tips:
Make a polythene shelter for outdoor peaches and nectarines, to protect against peach leaf curl.
This Month's Key Tips
- Now is the ideal time to start 'chitting' seed potatoes ready for planting in spring.
- Plant any seeds ready for the early spring season.
- Clean old pots and seed trays ready for sowing and planting.
- Start forcing rhubarb.
- Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch.
