Out of doors

Put in a little winter work now

Gardener Pete Harcom has your list of jobs (and not-jobs!) for December

Though the garden is quiet in the middle of winter, getting on with some jobs now will get you well ahead for the spring and will ensure your garden is ready as the seasons turn towards the warmer, brighter months.

Prepare your borders

Winter digging can continue, weather permitting – just don’t dig when the soil is too wet or frozen. To feed the soil and improve the structure, use garden compost, well-rotted manure and leaf mould.

Cut it back

Pruning all the climbing roses and any tall ones will help reduce wind rock during the worst of the winter weather. Prune old flowered rose shoots to a third of their length, and check all climbers to ensure they are adequately supported. Now is also the right time to prune your Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) if required

Protect your pots

Bring your potted plants into the greenhouse, or failing that at least move them into groups – this will help protect them from harsh winds and frosts.

Sowing time

Sow your sweet peas and micro greens seeds in the greenhouse. Also sow some alpine plants now – these can be very easy to grow in a cool greenhouse, and don’t worry about the exposure to low temperatures before germination some alpines need, an average UK winter should provide the right temperatures. If you already have alpines in the flower borders, it’s also a good idea to put some gravel around them now to prevent them getting waterlogged.

A little protection work

Fungal spores and many pestpupae overwinter in the soil at the base of plants, ready for action once spring arrives and growth begins again. Remove (and compost) all old mulches in all areas of the garden, and lightly dig around the base of plants to expose any resident pests to predators (birds love grubs!) and winter weather.

Pond life

If you have a pond, ensure plenty of light is getting in through the winter months by removing any overhanging shrubs and trees. This will help your pond plants to replenish oxygen levels in the water. Always ensure there is a ball or similar to help prevent the surface entirely freezing over during any cold snaps.

Christmas decorations

Harvest the winter berries on plants like Holly if you intend to use them for wreaths or garlands for Christmas displays, before the birds and the weather get them all. They should be fine if you put them in buckets of water until you are ready to use them.

And what NOT to do:

Avoid disturbing large piles of leaves now. Leaf piles are amazing for wildlife, providing shelter and a great nesting spot for hibernating animals, such as hedgehogs, small mammals, frogs and countless insects. Lastly, just leave your Hydrangeas’ spent flower heads on the plants! They help protect the new flower buds that are forming lower down the stems.

Leave the dead hydrangea heads on the bush to protect new growth

OUT OF DOORS Barry has continued to harvest both vegetables and salads throughout November. Image: Barry Cuff

The Voice of the Allotment An unexpected winter growing season

The unusually warm, wet November has meant everything has kept right on growing, says Barry Cuff – though he has resisted the temptation of new seeds

Unusually for November, growth of weeds, grass and some vegetables continued through the month due to the unseasonal weather, with high daytime temperatures, mild nights and high rainfall (about 7½ inches recorded locally). The only frost during the month occurred on the 19th and it killed off a few of the most tender plants, the French beans and the courgettes. As a result of the long, dry summer, despite the high rainfall it was still possible to walk on the soil without doing any harm. Weeds could be removed by hoeing as some were still seeding, especially groundsel and the dreaded Gallant Soldier.

Muck spreading

Five trailer-loads of two-year-old horse manure for the whole site was delivered by a local farmer on the 9th November, all of which had been ordered and paid for by plot-holders in advance. We spread the first of our part of the order on to the plot which had been potatoes, and will be legumes, squashes and sweetcorn in 2023. The remainder will be put in heaps waiting for the ground to be cleared. Of course some will not be spread until the crops, such as leeks, brassicas, parsnips and carrots, are cleared in the spring. Sturminster Newton Town Council carried out an inspection of our site early in the month to ensure that plot-holders are complying with the tenancy agreement which they sign annually.

Back to the veg

We continued to harvest vegetables throughout the month. Carrots, leeks and parsnips were dug as required, normally about every seven days to ensure a fresh supply for the kitchen. Celery and celeriac keep well in the fridge and are normally gathered at longer intervals. Salads are cut about every four days. These currently include mustards, wintercress, corn salad, rocket and radicchio together with the colourful and tasty autumn radishes. Due to the mild weather we had to chimp* our potatoes. They were dug back in August and stored in our garage, and some had 2-3 inch shoots!

A seedy habit

Over the last month we have been inundated by the seed companies with offers of seed at £1 and 89p per packet. It’s very good value from some of the biggest seed houses – Kings, Thompson & Morgan, Suttons and Dobies. We only succumbed to buying a few packets of tomatoes and cauliflowers, as we are already well stocked up with seed for next year. A quick stock check showed we had packets of about 70 varieties covering a range of about 30 different vegetables!

*I asked Barry, who says ‘it’s an old Dorset dialect word – to chimp is the act of removing the sprouts (chits) from the taters.’ – Ed

Gifts for the gardener!

Don’t fret. Local flower farmer Charlotte Tombs has the answer to what you’re all asking – what CAN you buy for the gardener in your life?

It’s that time of year and I thought perhaps some of my personal favourites might be useful to know this month. I’m often asked what my favourite or most-used garden tool is – hands down with no hesitation or second thought required it’s my Hori Hori knife!

The perfect tool

A Hori Hori knife (below left) is a Japanese digging, weeding, bulbplanting all round brilliant hand tool. I love mine and I often give one as a present. I bought mine from Niwaki, a company near Shaftesbury – do check their opening hours. They offer a great online ordering service.

The golden spade

My other favourite tool is my golden spade. This was actually a Valentine’s present from my husband (he knows me well). It’s small and incredibly lightweight and it makes digging tasks an absolute pleasure. Again this is available from Niwaki (image above) and in checking the link I have just noticed they now have a shovel and a square spade too. They’ve just been added to my own Christmas list!

Snips you can see

Garden snips are next on my list. Burgon and Ball sell a FloraBrite range which have fluorescent coloured handles – really not a thing of beauty but when you put them down you can find them! WHY do they usually make them with green handles? That’s just camouflage!

Dungarees

Next on my list are my Carhartt bib overalls, or dungarees as us Brits call them. These are a game changer because they keep the small of your back warm (apologies, I’m in danger of sounding like my grandmother) plus they have loads of pockets so you get to do that great pat-yourself-down pocket dance!

Extras

A good penknife is another essential – Opinel is my favourite.You can also get the blade or handle engraved so it becomes a lovely personal gift. Garden twine is another musthave, no one ever has too much! Nutscene is where to go for that – they have some lovely sets which make another great gift.

Making Memories at Thorngrove

At Thorngrove this year, the team have been building you memories - you just need to come along and make them, says Kelsi-Dean Buck

We made it! It’s here. Every year it feels like it arrives sooner, but December is upon us and the Christmas spirit is in full swing! As we said last month, we’re having our biggest Christmas ever with more events than any previous festive season at Thorngrove! A grotto, a fairytale forest, and wreath making classes too! Oh… and did you see our official Christmas advert? You can watch it on social media now!

Grottos and memories

It can be difficult trying to “sell” in times of economic uncertainty – we’re all only too aware of the difficulties many people are facing this year. Which is why at Thorngrove we’re doing our best to offer not just the usual Christmas essentials, but make ourselves a place that you can also come to create memories that will last forever. We have already had our first Santa’s Grotto days and we had amazing feedback from those who attended. Our grotto was put together entirely by our staff, and our Employ My Ability students and service users got involved building the snowman! It was real team effort to get the grotto up and running and we hope you all enjoy it; it’s on every weekend until Christmas. You can turn up without booking but we do encourage booking beforehand as the last two weekends are already looking especially busy and close to selling out! Find all the details on our website.

Theatre at Thorngrove

Dorset based company Angel Exit Theatre (angelexit.co.uk) are transforming an indoor area of Thorngrove Garden Centre into a beautiful wintery forest. Visitors will learn the secrets of this snowy land as they venture through pine trees on a sensory journey filled with fairy tale magic. They will meet the effervescent Mary Godmother played by Lynne Forbes and hear news of their favourite fairy tale characters in her stories, songs, and gossip. This event is FREE and no booking is required – dates on our website. The café is hosting a Christmas Menu on select days in December too, with Ben and his team offering some delightful options. The Taste of Christmas will be in the Secret Garden Café and more delicious than ever before. We look forward to seeing you all this December, and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year!