Garden Gnome Winter

To dry out the soil for digging...

Winter is an ideal time to take a cold hard look at what we’ve got in the garden or on the plot; we can see the bare bones, and can ask ourselves if this is as good as it can get, or if we could improve it. So draw it out on graph paper, take some measurements, get out your compass to find out where north is, or check the position of the sun at noon – at this time of year it will be due south. If you can remember summer sun, indicate where the sunniest and shadiest parts are.

Mark in all hard landscaping features like paths, patios, ponds and potting sheds; mark out beds, borders and lawns; plot the positions of evergreen shrubs and maybe colour them green; put in other trees, shrubs and areas of planting, maybe using colour or symbols to indicate fragrance and times of flowering. Is there anything that doesn’t really pull its weight, either because it only flowers briefly, looking boring the rest of the time or it’s just not in the right place and therefore not thriving? Does the garden look (and smell) interesting now or is it just bedraggled?

Now’s the time for some fun on a cold winter evening! Sitting by the fire with a glass of wine, create a fantasy garden, using the basic outlines of what you’ve got, no expense spared, letting your imagination soar; get some books out of the library with lots of colour photos to inspire and excite you. What styles do you like? What sort of a mood do you want to create? What do you use the garden for? Then look at what you can realistically do. If this does inspire you to make structural changes then winter is the ideal time. If your soil needs improving to produce better crops or flowers, it’s best to do it in early spring.

Are there ways of improving light levels like a bit of tree surgery or hedge clipping? This can be done now too. Then check out the books for those plants best suited to the conditions you have, e.g. shade, heavy and wet or dry and chalky soil, and find viable alternatives to those aspects of your fantasy that don’t match the reality. I’ve just treated myself to Joy Larkcom’s Creative Vegetable Gardening book so I’ll be full of colourful inspiration again next year.

It’s a sad fact that a lot of the overgrown plots on allotment sites are those quite recently and joyfully taken on with high hopes, cleared, planted up and then just sabotaged by overwhelm: it all gets too much. It is hard work, it does need regular maintenance, there are times when I don’t feel like it myself, but it’s not all digging and weeding: a bit of sensible planning can really reduce the groan factor. Let’s get down on the plot on those lovely winter days to get ready for a fabulous and fruitful new year. 

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GARDEN  GNOME’S  WINTER  TASKS

• Tidy plot: clear veg beds and cover soil with compost, well rotted manure and seaweed covered with well weighted cardboard or polythene. Clear foliage on perennials only if it’s soggy.
• Keep off: wet or frosty soil and lawns.
• Clean/repair: tools, shed, greenhouse, pots & seed-trays; fences, paths, bed-edging.
• Weeding and pruning: hedges, shrubs, fruit trees and bushes (not plums, cherries, peaches or apricots), grape vines.   
• Plant: deciduous hedges, trees, shrubs, fruit trees & bushes.
• Check: new plantings of trees etc. Firm back if loosened by wind or frost.
• Clear and stack leaves or put in bin liners with holes punched in them for 18 months.
• Birds: provide them with food and water.
• Protect: tender plants.
• Dig: only if needed to remove perennial weed roots.
• Sow: in heat - leeks, sweet peas, onions from seed.

A handy tip - if the soil's too wet to dig, stretch a sheet of strong plastic over hoops and/or ropes so it's around 6" or a foot off the ground. This keeps the rain off while letting the wind in to dry out the soil. It also keeps the frost off so you can dig on those bright hard winter days. Attach the plastic to the ropes, not the hoops - this allows it to move so it's less likely to be pulled off by strong winds.