The shortest day looms
Getting ready for the height of winter means washing pots and guarding against mice and – even up north – ice.
June is the turning point of winter, with the shortest day towards the end of the month. The winter weather may not get any better in the short term, but with the lengthening of the days there is a stirring of something hopeful. With a new season on the horizon, there are a few things in the depths of winter we can do to start to get ready.
Cleaning up
One of the jobs i’m not that great at during the growing season is managing my pots.
My supply of pots is just what i need each season so i can be responsible with my use of plastic in the garden. But in the throes of the growing season when there is so much to do, I find I can be a tad careless and leave pots all about the garden. Several higgledypiggledy stacks can be found in strange places. During the height of winter is the best time to round them all up and sort them out.
Ordinarily, pot washing is a tedious chore, but in the same way you make a nursery clean and fit for a baby, the new home for young seedlings should be a safe space for them. I have found winter is the best time to do this and the greenhouse is the best place. I set up my workstation with plenty of clear space for the dirty pots on one side and for the clean pots to dry on the other. Then I heat up water on a camp stove, fill a large container and swish in a mild disinfectant. With an old dish scrubber and an old toothbrush, i get to work cleaning the pots. There is a surprising comfort in having your hands plunged into warm water in the warmth of the greenhouse on a cold winter’s day.
Keeping rodents At BAY
as the season gets colder and more dismal, rodents can double their efforts to invade your space as they look for shelter or something to eat. It is a good time to have a look about to see if you have a buffet ready and waiting for hungry mice and rats. If you have seeds in the greenhouse, consider storing them in an old biscuit tin as they won’t be able to gnaw their way into the treasures inside. They can even dig up seeds you have lovingly planted with great expectation, so it is best to make sure your perimeters, inside and out, are still secure with no tunnels or pathways evident. hungry rodents have been desperate enough in my greenhouse to nibble through slug and snail bait, and even had a go at a bucket of rat bait I bought as a last resort.
Keeping the Chill off
Many of the inhabitants of the winter greenhouse are there because it is just too cold for life on the outside. however,
on a really cold night a greenhouse can experience dramatic temperature drops, even to the point of inviting ice inside. If you have sensitive plants that wouldn’t appreciate these conditions, you can heat the greenhouse with a terracotta heater. This won’t warm the greenhouse but will keep the chill off on frozen nights. (It is also important to make sure it is safe and secure to avoid an accident.)
1. Set a large tealight candle on a paver.
2. Pop a small terracotta pot over the candle
– elevated with ceramic pot feet for airflow.
3. Place a larger terracotta pot over that, also elevated with pot feet or small saucers for airflow. light the candle at dusk on a night when a hard frost is expected.
Bonus potatoes
With the confidence of being able to keep the conditions in the greenhouse above freezing, it is a great opportunity to stretch the growing season and plant some potatoes. In some garden centres, seed potatoes may begin appearing from now but, if not, an old spud from the bottom of the pantry will do the trick.