Your Garden’s New Year Checklist: Care Tips For A Flourishing Year Ahead

Winter is, by its very nature, a time during which gardeners might find themselves with little to do. The daylight hours are fewer, and so there’s not much time to actually get out and do things. What’s more, there’s little to no growth actually occurring.

This being said, winter still presents a fantastic opportunity for gardeners. It might allow gardeners to prepare for the coming year and thereby save themselves work later on. It’s also a chance to seek inspiration, and to mull over new projects. Let’s take a look at a few key tasks that you’ll want to get on with before the New Year arrives.

Plan and Prepare for New Planting

First, it’s worth thinking about exactly what new plants you’ll be introducing into the garden in the coming year. Think not just about what you’re going to be planting but exactly where and when you’ll be planting it.

The new plants you introduce can either replace existing ones or supplement them. In a vegetable patch or allotment, this might mean crop rotation. This is a way of avoiding the problems that come with planting the same thing year in and year out. The soil will benefit from variety, and pests and diseases can thrive in a monoculture.

Another option is companion planting. This involves pairing plants with their natural allies. Beans, for example, might be vulnerable to aphids, but nasturtium can help deter these pests. Planting nasturtium in and around your beans can, therefore, work wonders – and it can bolster your soil for the same reason that crop rotation does.

Clean Up and Prune

During winter, you might not be able to grow much. But you can take the time to deal with any unwanted growth that’s occurred. This might mean clearing away debris, including fallen leaves, in order to prevent disease from spreading. It might also mean dealing with unwanted branches, weeds, and other growth. You can use hand tools to do this, including a trowel – or you can invest a little extra in cordless power tools and get the pruning done more quickly.

Enrich the Soil

Without rich, fertile soil, your garden will not thrive in the coming year. Keeping a compost bin and turning it regularly will provide you with an endless source of homemade soil nutrients. The same applies to manure and bagged fertiliser you might find at your local garden centre.

Maintain Tools and Equipment

Getting the most from your tools in the coming year will mean making sure they are fit for the job. This might mean sharpening blades, oiling mechanisms, and, in some cases, securing replacements. This goes not just for things like spades and shears—you might also look for structural elements, like polytunnel covers, to keep your plants protected for the next twelve months.

Protect Against Winter Weather

In some cases, it might be necessary to protect your plants against the harshest winter weather. This might mean investing in plant pots so that fragile plants can be easily moved, or it might mean using mulch and frost cloths to protect them.