Brits have been urged by horticultural experts to put off one crucial gardening task this winter, and to wait patiently until the weather (finally) starts to warm up
Experts have urged gardeners to postpone one crucial gardening task until the warmer weather arrives.
If the post Christmas blues have already kicked in, getting back outdoors is a good way to boost your mood and get prepared for summer. Yes, the weather is still miserable and all of those pretty blooms you grew last year are well and truly dead, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t jobs to be cracking on with.
January is the perfect time to start planting bare-root roses, shrubs, and ornamental trees (as long as the ground isn’t frozen), deadheading winter pansies, prune your climbing roses, and even have a shot at making your own mistletoe. However, when it comes to turning your compost – you should probably wait until Spring.
Turning your compost is a great way to aerate your heap or bin to speed up decomposition and make sure everything gets broken down properly. It can also help dry the compost out, preventing it clump together due to high moisture levels – which is somewhat inevitable with the amount of rain we get.
“There are various ways to turn compost – the most thorough being to empty the bin then refill it, or to move the contents from one bin to another,” the Royal Horticultural Society said. “But, both of these take space and can be difficult. Another option is simply to fork through or stir the contents every few months, introducing air and mixing the different ingredients to the best of your ability.”
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However, experts over at Gardeners’ World warn this job should be avoided in the winter. “Your compost bin or heap as it may be sheltering hibernating wildlife such as hedgehogs and other small mammals, as well as reptiles, amphibians and even bumblebees,” they added. “Wait until April, when disturbance will be minimal.”
To help wildlife thrive during the cold winter months, it’s also worth setting out fat-rich food for them such as seeds and nuts, and making sure birds have access to fresh water every day. If the little birds are struggling to get food because of greedy pigeons, try pouring some seeds into the crack of an old log.
“Avoid anything salty such as crisps, salted peanuts or bacon,” explained British horticulturist and TV presenter Monty Don in his eponymously named blog. “I buy dried mealworms too which robins, tits and wrens gobble up greedily. If in doubt, [use] sunflower seeds and fat-balls.”
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