Gardening tips for January

Photos: Caroline Turner/Judith Scott.   Words: Caroline Turner

To warm your soil in preparation for early seed sowing cover it with a cloche or use black plastic which will not only warm the soil but also suppress weeds and prevent vital nutrients from being washed away in heavy rain.

And, don’t forget to keep deadheading your winter bedding like violas, wallflowers and polyanthus to prolong flowering.