Gardening tips – January 2026

Happy New Year everyone. 2026 is the 25th year that these tips have been written, so I must have repeated myself quite often but then, so do the seasons and all the natural rhythms of the year.

This is the time of year when houseplants are most appreciated. Azaleas, cineraria and cyclamen will all help to cheer things up. Do not over water, and most of these plants like cool conditions.

When your seeds arrive from the supplier keep them in a cool dry place until required. Protect pea seeds in particular because mice love them, and they have already got into our garden shed where they have started on anything that they can reach. Remember paper is no barrier to sharp teeth, and makes lovely nesting material.

Rhubarb can be forced using an upturned bucket or tub. This should be covered with garden fleece to keep off any frost.

When seed potatoes arrive, keep them in a frost-free place and stand the tubers, eye-end uppermost, in shallow boxes. If you can get large egg trays these are ideal for keeping the tubers upright and just separated to prevent any infection spreading.

Don’t forget to clear away stems and roots of green crops like cabbages once they have finished and try to get ahead with winter cultivation whenever the weather gives you a chance. Cloches put out to protect seed beds will allow the soil to dry and allow sowing to be started just a bit earlier than usual.

To get the best onions for the Summer Show (Saturday August 15th 2026, this year – make a note!) apart from starting the first sowings this month, you should give a good dressing of wood ash on the site of the bed that you will use, since they really like potash. The show is the earliest day it can be held on, so an early start is a good idea. This will apply to dahlia growers once the weather gets warmer.

Remember to get your mower and power tools serviced and ready for the spring. Don’t leave it to the last minute when everyone else will be trying to do the same thing.

Keep a check on all trees and shrubs, especially if they have been planted in the previous 12 months, to make sure that their roots are firmly in the soil.  Wind and frost can easily lift them and do a lot of damage if they are not heeled in and kept firm. Finish any pruning of fruit trees.  Give them a winter wash of tar oil to help keep down insect damage in the summer months. Fruiting bushes like currants and gooseberries should also be pruned during their dormant period.

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Garden notes for November 2025.

All apple and pear trees should be pruned this month. Try to form the tree into a ‘wine glass’ shape to allow maximum light into the centre.  Remember to long prune tip bearing varieties.  Generally cut back ‘leaders’ by about one-third and prune back side growth.

November is a good month to repair lawns with turves if there is a need. It is also the best month to plant bare root fruiting trees and flowering trees in the garden, such as Japanese cherries, flowering crab apples and so on.  If you are considering planting a new hedge, now is the time to do it.

Much is written about composting, whole books have been devoted to it. Usually they depend on time for the material to rot down satisfactorily, but in most modern gardens there is not enough space for this. Two things to consider. Compost depends on having a good mix of nitrogen (from grass cuttings etc) and carbon (from twigs, stems and ash from fires). Always make certain the heap gets a bit of both. Second, bacteria love granulated fertiliser, the cheapest and best is ‘Growmore’. Sprinkle a bit of this on every two or 3 inches of the heap and you will get a faster decomposition.  Any animal manure that can be left for at least 2 months is also a very good accelerator.

Grass mowers should be kept under cover, and maintained so that they will be in good working order for the spring when the grass starts growing again. Tools, such as spades, forks, shears and so on, should be cleaned and oiled to prevent rusting. It is worth getting shears sharpened as they do become blunted with use during the spring and summer.

If you have a sheltered and well drained plot, now is the time to sow winter broad beans such as Aquadulce. Early broad beans often escape the blackfly attacks on the growth tips of the plant in spring.

Provided the weather is suitable keep digging the ground for good crops next year. Where possible double dig in farm yard manure, or well rotted compost from your own compost bin.

Roots of outdoor chrysthantemums should labelled, lifted and put in a cold frame for the winter.  If a cold frame is not available they can be kept under the shelter of a wall and protected with garden fleece.

November is perfect for planting tulips, as cooler soil reduces the risk of tulip fire – a fungal disease caused by planting too early. Whether filling borders or pots, choose a sunny spot with free-draining soil to ensure a vibrant spring display.

Start garlic and overwintering onions, now’s the time to plant garlic, which needs cold weather to form strong cloves. Use well-drained soil in a sunny spot, avoiding soggy ground. Overwintering onions and shallots can also go in – especially in milder areas or under cloches – to establish before spring.

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7pm Thursday 13 November Talk

“A Lifetime with Roses”

Capel Parish Hall – 7 for 7.15pm

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2025 Pumpkin Pageant Winners!

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Garden Notes for October 2025

As we go into the middle of autumn in October, the weather can be very unpredictable.  We might get a ‘St. Luke’s’ summer around the 18th of the month, equally we may get damaging frosts and gales at any time.  So be prepared and start getting in all the tender plants, put the winter chrysthantemums into their quarters.  One thing is for certain, and that is that the days will be drawing in. British Summer Time ends on the last weekend of October (Sunday 26th October) so the plants are gradually going into their winter hibernation.

Autumn is also harvest time for the gardener, although farmers seem to get their harvest in earlier and earlier.  In the garden, all fruit crops should be picked and stored regularly.  With apples and pears the test whether they are ready to pick is to lift the fruit gently with slight pressure on the stalk.  If it comes away easily – it’s ready.  It pays to pick over a tree several times as not all fruit mature at the same time.

Most houseplants will be slowing down their growth.  Water and feed less frequently.  Cacti, in particular, should be kept dry and frost-free during the winter.

Plant out wallflowers, polyanthus, sweet williams, foxgloves and other similar biennials for a good display in the spring.

Once the ground has been cleared it is a good idea to break it up.  If you have heavy clay (as most of us do round here) the best way is to use a spade and to leave it with large clods that will break down over the winter with weathering.  If you break the soil down too much at this time of year, it will just become a ‘pudding’ and you will have to start all over again in the spring.

After the first frosts have browned off the tops of dahlias, cut them down to within 12 cm (9”) of ground level.  Mark the variety with a label, and lift the tubers so that they can be dried under cover and then stored in a frost-free place for the winter.

If you want early sweet peas, now is the time to start them off.  For best result sow one or two seeds in rooting pots as sweet peas have an exceptionally long tap root.  Germinate the seeds in the greenhouse with gentle, consistent warmth.  Once they have emerged sweet peas can be kept outside in a cold frame, only needing protection from the worst frosts by having a cover over them.

With the arrival of cooler weather and damp soil, bare-root planting season begins. This is an ideal time to add deciduous trees, flowering shrubs, or climbers to the garden while giving them time to establish roots before spring growth kicks in.

Do come to the Horticultural Society AGM on which starts at 7pm with a talk on ‘A lifetime with roses’.  It will be in the Capel Parish Hall and roses will be on sale.

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Garden Notes for September 2025.

Writing just at the start of the month it is good to have rain at last, hopefully the weather will go back to being predictably normal for the rest of the year.

With the nights drawing in and the temperature cooling, there may well be a danger of moulds appearing in many of the bedding plants, especially begonias.  Dead flowers left to rot act as a centre of infection, so keep deadheading.

Daffodils, but not tulips, should be planted up in September.  Try putting some bulbs in a bed especially for cutting in the spring.  Tulip bulbs should be planted in October or even a bit later depending on the variety.

Complete the planting of strawberries in September; otherwise they will not have enough time to establish themselves to build up strong fruiting crowns for next year.  You can plant them in late autumn or spring but if you want good plants, these later planted ones should not be allowed to fruit in their first season.

When picking apples or pears, don’t wrench them off the branch.  Gently push upwards and twist.  If the fruit is ready for picking it will come away easily, if not – leave it for a couple more days.

Continue disbudding chrysanthemums to leave one bud per stem, otherwise let them go to make a spray of much smaller blooms.  Don’t forget to get them in under some protection before the first frosts start.

Ripen off onions and store them when they are completely dry.  Harvest potatoes and keep them in a light proof bag, under cover.

September is the best time to take cuttings of penstemons.  The cuttings should be taken from young, non-flowering shoots as these will root readily in a sandy soil kept in a frame.

Spring cabbage should be planted out now.  It is important to remember to firm well round each plant after planting.  Lettuce can be planted for later cutting.  Good varieties include ‘All the Year Round’ and ‘Winter Density’.

Keep an eye out for tomato blight, and remove any infected leaves.  Towards the end of the month it will be best to clear away the remaining tomatoes as they will not do much more, and the space in the greenhouse will be needed for autumn and winter flowers.

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Congratulations to everyone who took part in the Group Competition! A big thank you to all who took part!

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