December

December

In the greenhouse

• Clear out old crops and grow bags
• Water sparingly and aim to keep the atmosphere as dry as possible
• Continue ventilating the greenhouse on warm days
• Keep potted herbs on the staging to continue cropping over winter
• Check that greenhouse heaters are working

Tip: Hot house?

A good investment for the greenhouse is a max-min thermometer that records extremes each day. Check and re-set regularly to monitor what’s happening. If you do heat your greenhouse do check the thermometer each morning to ensure you are not overheating at night and wasting fuel.

Fruit and vegetables

• Dig over vacant areas of ground
• Lift and divided congested clumps of rhubarb
• Clear away old crops and add them to the compost heap
• Stock up on rotted farmyard manure or other composted waste
• Plant new fruit trees and bushes
• Prune side shoots on gooseberries back to about 5cm (2in).
• Use cloches or fleece to protect winter peas, beans and salads from frosts
• Prune apple and pear trees

Tip: Prepare for parsnips

It’s rewarding having a selection of fresh vegetables to harvest through the winter. Several root crops can be dug up now – parsnips last for months in the sail, getting sweeter once hit by frost. Swedes stand up well to cooler conditions and are great mashed with carrot or in winter stews. Both need a long growing season, so if you’d like crops next winter, then plan to sow in March or early April.