Pippa's Plot (January 2011)

You might think that in the grips of a polar winter, you’re garden would be best left as it is. But you'd be wrong. There are still plenty of things you can do to ensure that all your hard work so far this year remains unaffected by the frost and snow and that come the spring it reaches full bloom.

Grab a rake (ideally a spring-tined one with a large head of splayed out, long tines) and rake up any leaves and twigs which have deposited themselves on your lawn. Even if you thought that you’d finished leaf clearing a month or two ago, there are bound to be more now and, if left in place they’ll damage the lawn....then don’t forget to collect them all up and cram them together in a bin-bag to make leafmould for conditioning the soil!

If you have any deciduous trees or shrubs which require quite major pruning work, this is a good time to get started – no leaves on the plant mean less mess to clear up afterwards and it will also be easier to see the current shape and pattern of the branches. For larger trees or if in doubt, you’d be best advised to call in a reputable tree surgeon or arborist.

Taller roses may be prone to wind-rock and also to being loosened in the soil after heavy frosts. Re-firm the soil at the base after very cold weather and prune back long stems by about 50%. No need for great accuracy here, this is simply to reduce wind damage and you can do the ‘proper’, accurate pruning in the spring.

Feeling the effects of the Christmas aftermath? Make a resolution to grow at least some of your vegetables yourself. This is a good month to send off for seeds and order garden ready veg plants or even plug plants of your favourite vegetables...the ranges available are brilliant and of course you could always opt for my veg-growing system (www.pippagreenwood.com/ ) where you get garden-ready plants, seeds and weekly advice emails which talk you through the whole process.

Make sure that outside taps are really well insulated, together with their pipework. If you can possibly manage without using the tap for the next few weeks, then ideally turn off the water at the mains so that none is being fed through to outdoor taps and water features. Burst pipes are messy and expensive!

If you have a greenhouse large enough to grow crops such as peppers and aubergines and tomatoes, then it is worth sowing some seeds of these delicious crops towards the end of this month. Raised early the plants will be ready and cropping earlier in the summer.

If you buy seed potatoes these must not be put in the ground just yet, it is far too cold and wintry. Instead they need to be ‘chitted’ which means you allow them to form a few short and very sturdy shoots in time for planting out in March or so. Place the seed potato tubers in empty egg cartons or seed trays and place these in a frost free but cool spot with plenty of natural light so that the perfect shoots can begin to form. The result? Heavier and slightly earlier crops of delicious potatoes!

If the surface of your garden pond freezes over, any fish or wildlife in the water may be poisoned by the build up of toxic gasses from decomposing plants and other organic matter. So float an old football (or netball!) on the pond surface to slow down the freeze over. If it does form a sheet of ice, carefully hold a pan of very hot water on the ice to melt a hole and allow gasses to escape. Smashing the ice may damage or distress wildlife, so go gently!