January’s allotment plan
SOW
Chilli ‘Cherry Bomb’ Produces mediumto-hot cherry-sized fruits. Start indoors in coir pellets. Move into the greenhouse in May. Feed plants regularly at the onset of flowers. Start cropping in September.
Onion ‘Ailsa Craig’ Plant out in March, keep well weeded and water weekly in periods of drought. Harvest in September when the tops collapse suddenly.
Garlic ‘Solent Wight’ Plant individual cloves outdoors in free-draining soil, spaced 15cm apart. Feed with potash-rich organic fertiliser in May. Start harvesting between mid-July and August.
HARVEST
Nip the tips of winter-sown peas to encourage bushy growth. These pea shoots are a welcome addition to a winter salad.
Keep harvesting fresh carrots grown in pots in the greenhouse.
Tease out a few spring onions.
Dig up parsnips to make winter parsnip soup.
Snip parsley for garnishes.
JOBS
Prune apple trees to create open centres and thin spurs on branches to three or four. Order pheromone traps to prevent codling moth damage.
Mulch around rhubarb
and place a bucket over a section of the crowns to help force tender sweet shoots.
Remove spoilt spuds as soon as early seed potatoes arrive. Set the rest on a light window ledge to chit.
Sow onion seeds in trays and put in a bright spot in an unheated greenhouse.