Winter jobs in the garden
LIZ CHARNELL
The propagator is empty!
The space feels huge with no trays on the tables, nothing germinating or screaming at us “plant us out”, and each time I walk in, I like to think we are both taking a deep breath, followed by a huge sigh of relief, holding that sense of another season, another year…done!
That’s true of the growing and the planting, yet there is still much to harvest and much that will over winter, so much so that when the light returns there is no doubt we will feel the excitement of new growth, new season, new year….
Until then, well there’s a phrase during the season that is over-used and said with tongue-in-cheek – “that’s a winter job, add it to the list at the back of the diary!”
I will not divulge the full contents of that list here if only to protect my mental health (as we never get through it!) It is full of jobs that are quintessential to the notion of ‘garden jobs’ that mostly go unnoticed and yet can have a huge impact on next year. Let’s consider the weeding, pruning, feeding, and mulching of all the soft fruit and rhubarb. We are attempting to win the battle with bindweed and, so far, are failing. Yet, we still need to give every shrub our undivided attention so that next year they reach their true potential, which in the end is out of our hands as the weather always has the last say on that one. Ah the weather…another article!
Then there is the cleaning of the polytunnels. A perfect day for this is a mild, drizzly, grey day. This will mean the dirt that has built up over the year will be easier to scrub of. Mild means that the water isn’t freezing cold, so it is kind of fun and so very satisfying to instantly see the transformation from filthy to clean. And lastly a grey day means a short day – let’s face it, you can only clean for so long!
And then there are those ‘inside jobs’ like ordering the seeds and planning the sowing of all the crops. There is even time to review the highs and lows, the things that worked (and didn’t) and dare I say we may even find time to dream about the purchase of a compost turner. It all needs careful consideration as it all contributes to the growing of us as well as the garden.
It is the time of year to slow down, take a breath, and change into a gear that isn’t full on. Yet we still go forward in a measured way, always aware of how unbelievably blessed we are as we reap the rewards of all the hard work from the days and months that are behind us.
