January is often a quiet month in the garden, but as we approach the final few days, there are some jobs homeowners should make sure they have completed.
A gardening expert spoke exclusively to GB News to list three planting and pruning tasks to complete now.
This is the time to think about the fruits and vegetables in your garden, according to gardener at Go Wild Landscapes Andrew Marshall.
He listed garlic bulbs, broad beans and apple and pear trees as three things that need your attention now.
The expert advised planting garlic now
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Get planting garlic bulbs
Andrew said: “Garlic is a great low-maintenance vegetable to be growing – all you need to do is get hold of some seed garlic bulbs, some people like to split up the bulbs of garlic you buy from a supermarket and plant each of those – every bulb will produce its own garlic head eventually. Using properly certified seed garlic should give you better results though.
“Separate the bulbs and plant them directly into your soil, with about 1ft spacing between each bulb.
“You then just have to keep them covered and ensure they don’t dry out, which is unlikely to happen in the UK – you might have to watch out that they don’t end up getting waterlogged which could rot the bulb.
“January is the perfect time to be getting your garlic bulbs planted up, but don’t leave it too late.”
Get planting broad beans
The gardening pro advised: “Broad beans are another good option for this time of year but are a little more work – you should sow the beans indoors (you could place them on a windowsill if you don’t have access to a greenhouse) in small pots. You could recycle old yoghurt pots or similar for this.
“In springtime, when the beans have hopefully sprouted, you can plant them outside. They’ll need support, so use some canes or find some sticks to act as a support and tie them to the stems.
“Bumblebees love the flowers on broad beans, and later after you’ve picked your beans you can cut the plant at the base of the stem so that the roots remain – these are good for fixing nitrogen in the soil, so you’ll end up improving your soil for future crops.”
Prune your apple trees this month
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Prune apple and pear trees
Andrew explained: “This is a good time to prune apple and pear trees whilst they’re dormant – you’ll want to be pruning back some of the growth from summer.
“Try and aim to generate air and light within the canopy of the tree, and cut out any branches that may be rubbing or look diseased.
“Avoid pruning any stone fruits as this might encourage disease and isn’t the recommended time to prune such trees (like cherries or plums).”
For more tips, a houseplant expert shares a key tip to help your fiddle leaf fig thrive. Or, see our guide on how to care for aloe plants at home.
