January / February Grower’s Calendar

Preparation
· If you have not already done so order/buy your seeds and spuds now.  Seed Companies:  Seedsavers, Organic Centre, Thompson & Morgan, Sutton Seeds, Unwins, Seeddirect, Heritage Seeds etc. or local Garden Centres like Maguires, Woodies etc

·  Dig and prepare your veg plot/ground if the weather is good.  Keep off the beds to prevent soil compaction - use timber planks for access.  Those gardeners with raised beds have the advantage here, especially if they have them covered as the soil will warm 2 weeks at least before open ground.

·  Start preparing seed beds

·  If you didn’t do so earlier in the winter, spread well rotted manure or compost over vegetable beds and cover selected areas with plastic or carpet to start warming up the soil.

·  Prune fruit trees and bushes if necessary, to improve their shape and remove winter damage (it's best to complete this job before the 1st March before the sap begins to rise).  Consider netting the bushes after pruning (fruit netting can be bought in DIY stores & garden centres - it's worth it) and dress the ground around with a potash feed (or use wood ash), which encourages fruit growth.

·  Lime your soil now if it’s needed.

Sowing Seeds
On a sunny windowsill indoors or in a heated greenhouse, sow celery, celeriac, leeks, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, aubergines, peppers/chilli-peppers, globe artichokes

Other Tasks
·  Chit seed potatoes - put them in a container (e.g. used egg carton or empty seed tray) and leave them in a bright warm place.
Buy onion and shallot sets

Planting Out
·  Weather permitting you can try planting out broadbeans, spinach, kohlrabi, onion and shallot sets, Jerusalem artichokes, parsnip and early pea varieties.
·  In polytunnel or greenhouse - beetroot, Brussels sprouts, summer and autumn cabbage, carrots, leeks, lettuce, radish.

·  Now is a good time to plant fruit trees and bushes
If you want to start a herb garden and are growing for the first time try to get root cuttings of perennial herbs i.e. Mint, Thyme etc. from WFPN members, then you can sow the seeds of annual herbs i.e Basil, Coriander etc. yourself.

Harvesting
·  Winter cabbage and cauliflowers, Brussels sprouts, spinach, kale and leeks
·  Lift remaining root vegetables

In Season
Whether you’ve grown them yourself or not, the following produce (if you can get it) is seasonal:

Celeriac, carrots, parsnips, onions, cauliflower, Jerusalem artichokes, winter squash, purple sprouting and regular broccoli, rhubarb, broccoli, leeks, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, clams, seabass, turkey, partridge, goose and pheasant

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