Anita's Garden
  • About
  • Blog
  • Newsletters
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January 2022
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January 2021
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March 2020
    • February
    • January
    • December
    • November
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
  • Contact Me

tips for gardening in january

1/7/2019

4 Comments

 
Picture
Sunflower Taiyo
January is one of the hottest months of the year, making work around the garden challenging on many fronts. High temperatures, little or no rainfall and dry soil make it difficult to get plants established. Fortunately, it’s a time when most gardens are well-established and by now, most gardeners are starting to see the fruits of their labour.  We certainly are.  This is also a time when most people are on holiday and away from their garden.  It’s always a shame to see all the hard work you put in during spring go to waste when the place becomes neglected and plants die, or you return to a jungle!  These are problems I have faced year after year, so I have compiled a few little checklists with some suggestions to help you out.

My tips for caring for the garden while you’re away:

  •          Mulch well to help conserve moisture and keep weeds down.  You can read more about the importance of mulching here and here
  •          Make sure your plants are watered.  You can so this by organising a house-sitter, ask a neighbour to water the garden if you have a good relationship with them or set up an irrigation system
  •          Consider using a wetting agent such as Saturaid to help preserve moisture and reduce the need for watering.  This is especially useful for containers

Here are some tips for gardening in January:
  •          Try to avoid planting anything new at this stage.  If you have to, make sure you plant in the evening and water well.  I recently put in some more cucumbers and zucchini so we have a continuous supply throughout the summer
  •          Any new plantings should ideally be watered twice daily, in the morning and evening, until they are established
  •          Plants in pots need watering more frequently.  The smaller the pot, the more water the plant will need!
  •          Plants flourish when they are nourished.  Continue to liquid feed plants weekly to encourage further flowering and fruiting
  •          Put saucers under pumpkins, squash and melons as they develop to prevent them from rotting when they come into contact with the ground
  •          Harvest regularly.  If fruits sit on the plant too long, the plant will put all its energy into the mature fruit at the expense of developing further fruit
  •          Check containers and pots regularly for dead plants.  I have a tray of back-up seedlings in the nursery for replacements
  •          If you can, continue to remove the laterals from tomatoes to encourage plants to put all their energy into forming fruit rather than leafy growth which probably won’t amount to fruit. This has become a difficult task for me and I have simply given up at this point, because the areas I planted tomatoes in have become a bit of a jungle, with cucumbers, pumpkins and squash creeping everywhere!

While the garden is flourishing in high temperatures, it’s generally a quieter time than spring, so you might find yourself having a bit of spare time on your hands.  Here are a few ways you could spend any extra time you have:

  •          Lift and divide spring bulbs.  Dry them and dust with flowers of sulphur.  Store in netting bags for planting in autumn.
  •          Update your seed catalogue.  I was so busy in spring that I fell behind with logging new purchases and didn’t always cross off items I sowed.  I managed to update my list a few days ago
  •          Start thinking about what you’d like to grow in winter.  Have a look through seed catalogues and place an order so you’ll be ready to start sowing seeds next month​​
Picture
Rose Claude Monet
4 Comments

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • About
  • Blog
  • Newsletters
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January 2022
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March
    • February
    • January 2021
    • December
    • November
    • October
    • September
    • August
    • July
    • June
    • May
    • April
    • March 2020
    • February
    • January
    • December
    • November
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
  • Contact Me