Courtesy of the RHS, here are a few things that we should be getting on with this month. There is always something to be done in the garden!
Fruit
- Tie in new tiers of espaliers.
- Prune open grown apples and pears (not those trained against walls)
Vegetables
- Parsnips taste better when frosted. Make sure to mark the trench, and cover it with a protective layer of cardboard if hard frosts are forecast.
- Stake or earth up any Brussels sprouts stalks that look leggy and vulnerable to wind rock.
- There’s still time to force chicory. Pot them up and position them in a dark warm place. The tasty chicons will appear in three to six weeks.
- If you have not done so already, now is the time to dig over and incorporate soil improvers into vacant areas of the vegetable plot.
- Clear late-season debris off the vegetable plots, and dispose.
- Clean and store bamboo canes in the shed or other dry place to ensure they’re still in good condition for next year. Broken or rotted ones can be shortened, where possible, for re-use.
Flowers & Shrubs
- Check your winter protection structures are still in place
- Check that greenhouse heaters are working
- Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to prevent bleeding
- Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted