Chilly December is a time to catch up on some indoor gardening jobs and have a rest!
Fruit & veg
Sow now
Try sowing some of the indoor crops on the Grow it! pages.
Harvest now
You can carry on harvesting winter crops such as parsnips, kale, leeks, winter cabbage, chard, spinach and Brussels sprouts. Don’t forget to pick Brussels sprouts from the bottom of the stalk upwards.
Jobs now
If you have any cabbages or other plants in the cabbage family, make sure that they are netted to protect the crop from hungry pigeons!
Make sure any horticultural fleece placed over your autumn sown crops such as broad beans, is fixed securely in place.
Plants
Collect all your empty plant pots and seed trays together and wash them ready for next year. You could clean your tools too!
Collect the rest of the leaves that have fallen from the trees for composting as leaf mould.
Do some early wrapping by covering any large outside containers with bubblewrap, fleece or hessian, to help prevent the pots cracking in the cold frosty weather.
Wildlife
Help the wildlife in your garden survive the cold, wintry weather by:
- Make the bird cake to feed the birds.
- Provide clean water for wildlife to drink.
- Don’t be a tidy gardener! Leave some seed heads and berries on plants in your garden for animals and birds to eat.