Have a crack at growing an apricot from a stone Harvest garlic
Though seedling stone fruit (apricots and peaches in particular) won’t be an exact match of their parent, theywill be pretty close. This means that if you eat a really sweet, tree-ripened fruit, there’s nothing to be lost by sowing the seed – and potentially lots ofmoney to save.
Step 1: Eat the fruit and save the stone. Rinse off any flesh attached to the stone and let itdryin the sun for adayor two. This slightly shrinks the kernel inside, so thatwhen you crack open the stone, you’re less likely to damage the kernel.
Step 2: Hold the stone on its side and give it a sharp tap with a hammer. The stone should readily split open along its seam, allowing for easy extraction of the kernel. Step 3: Soak the kernel in a small bowl of warmwater overnight, then sow, 1-2cm deep, in plant pots filledwith good-quality pottingmix. Keepmoist until the seeds germinate. You’ll need to look after your seedling tree for a full season in its pot, so don’t let it dryout or gethit byfrost in winter.
Don’t eat rawkernels because they contain a natural substance called amygdalin that can release cyanide in your stomach if eaten. This can cause illness andmay be fatal, especially in children, so don’t leave themaroundwhere children or pets could chewon them.
Harvest your garlicwhen the lower leaves are brown but the top five or six are still green. Don’twait until all the leaves are brown as the qualitywill be reduced.
Leave the bulbs outside in a shaded, dry spot for a couple of days to dry, then hang in bunches in a cool, dry, airy location, and out of sunlight, to cure.
If the bulbs have begun to split open, the garlic is still usable but it won’t keepwell. Eat any damaged bulbs first and save the best for seed.
In the rose garden
January is a goodmonth for a summer prune. Cut back the once-flowering roses because they need to be pruned nowrather than inwinter. The repeat bloomers can have a general tidy-up ready for February flowers.
Check the base of roses to see ifwinds have rocked the bud union out of the soil. Arose rocking on its roots isn’t happy so addmore soil, tramp down firmly, and tie the rose to a strong stake if necessary.
Spray roseswith skimmilk andwater – half and half – to discourage fungi such as black spot and rust. You can feed themat the same time by adding liquid fertiliser (seaweed or fish) to the mix.
Keep picking roses or deadheading to encourage the plant tokeep flowering.