Force rhubarb

The new year is the time to start “forcing” rhubarb. By covering the crown of the plant in order to keep it in darkness, you will encourage it to produce shoots a few weeks earlier than normal. Place a special forcing jar, an upturned pot, or even a pile of straw, over the crown before the first shoots appear, to block out any light. When the shoots reach the top of the pot or pile of straw – after about 4 weeks – remove the cover to reveal tender, pink stems.

By the end of January, young new shoots of rhubarb should be starting to push their way out of the soil. Now’s the time to cover them if you want to force them.

Continue to force chicory

Dig up Belgian or Witloof chicory roots, trim them, replant them, and then cover them with pots to blanche new leaves and produce a valuable salad crop in midwinter.

Protect cauliflowers from frost

Throughout the coldest months, protect the heads or “curds” of overwintering cauliflowers from both frost and light by wrapping their leaves around them and tying them with string.

Winter-prune fruit trees

Unless it is very cold, January is a good time for pruning dormant fruit trees such as apples and pears. Remove any dead, diseased or damaged wood, and open up the framework of the tree so that air can circulate freely.

Remove unwanted growth by cutting close to a healthy growth bud. Make a clean, angled cut parallel with the shoot to which you are cutting back.

Continue digging over your plot

As long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, complete your winter digging of any empty areas of your plot. Digging aerates the soil and encourages it to break down into smaller particles. Heavy clay soils may be too wet to work, however. If the soil sticks to your boots when you walk on it, keep off – and leave the digging to next month.

Spread compost or manure

Feed your soil with compost or well-rotted stable manure. Either work it in as you dig over the ground or – in the case of deep beds – simply spread it over the surface and let it become incorporated naturally.

Stable manures are usually a mixture of straw and animal dung, though they may also contain woodshavings or sawdust. Let them rot down before using them, or the ammonia they contain may “scorch” young plants.

Start “chitting” seed potatoes

Buy your seed potatoes for the year. It’s worth splashing out on good-quality tubers rather than saving and re-using your own, as commercially grown seed potatoes are fairly certain to be disease-free. When you get them home, spread them out in single layers in egg boxes or seed trays and store them somewhere cool and light. Within a few weeks the eyes will begin to sprout and form new shoots called “chits”.

Winter-prune fruit bushes

If you’ve not already done so, winter-prune gooseberry and currant bushes.

Prune grape vines

This month is your last chance to prune outdoor grape vines. By next month the sap will be rising and it will be too late; they will “bleed” if cut.

Check wires and ties

Inspect all stakes, wires, and ties on your fruit trees and bushes. Replace any that are worn or broken, and ensure that others are secure enough to provide support but not so tight that they constrict new growth.

Clean pots and seed trays

Take advantage of the quiet month to give all your pots and seed trays a thorough wash and clean, using a weak solution of household bleach or detergent and a stiff brush. This will help prevent any diseases or viruses from last year carrying over to this year’s batches of new seedlings.