Monty Don urges gardeners to do huge job in first week of January
Monty Don urges gardeners to do huge job in first week of January
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The year 2025 is fast approaching and that means there will soon be a number of jobs to do in our gardens. While it has been awfully wet across the UK in recent weeks and months, there are still a number of things gardeners can do in January which will make our lives easier when the warmer months return. One of the jobs which can be done in the first week of 2025 is prepping the vegetable garden.
British horticulturist Monty Don has explained exactly what he will be doing in the first seven days of January. Writing on his website, the gardening expert said: "The spring salad crops are sown in the first week of January. I always use organic seed where possible. These will include rocket, mizuna, Little Gem and Tom Thumb lettuce and curly endive.
"This feels like a positive, creative way to start the year. It might be hard frost outside but I sow these into seed trays or plugs using peat-free compost and put them to germinate on a heated mat in the greenhouse. "None of these plants will ever go outside but will be planted into soil in the big greenhouse at the beginning of February and harvested from Mid march through to Mid may when they will be cleared to make room for tomatoes, peppers, basil and aubergines.
"If you do not have a greenhouse or tunnel then wait a while before sowing seed. I have learnt the painful way that being too soon with seed sowing is usually more likely to lead to problems than being too late.". If you feel it could be a waste of time due to it being too wet or not having the required conditions, the Gardeners' World star has insisted it is better to wait than try and force the issue. He added: "For all the problems of the bigger picture there are still the day to day seasonal jobs that are timely to do in January if the weather permits but do not worry if you cannot get out and get on - almost everything will wait.
