To Do in December
Things you could be doing in December
Essentially for the next few months, any activity will be weather dependent.
If the ground is wet underfoot-stay off it. Compacted ground is no help to anyone
If you haven’t already done so, don’t wait until spring or summer NOW is the time to be thinking of acquiring water storage tanks and connecting them to any water run off points like shed-greenhouse roof’s.
The bulk of annual rainfall will be in the next few months. Rain water is much more plant friendly than tap water, so be kind to your plants!
if you must go on to your plot- then put a board down , it is good practice to acquire and keep old scaffold boards specifically for this purpose to avoid compacting the soil, or lay an old strip of roofing felt temporarily.
On a more permanent basis you may consider installing raised beds (old scaffold boards make good edging and can be relatively cheap and easy to construct)
If we do get a few mild days any building or construction work that you’ve been putting off could get a head start now.
You could start some exhibition onions under glass. •
Buy bare root fruit trees and/or bushes now, as this should show some considerable cost savings on transport. Right now up till end of February is ideal planting time as fruit trees are dormant now as they restore their energy levels for next season.
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Fruit trees and bushes may be pruned any time between now and the the beginning of March. Fruit trees (of manageable size and less than five years maturity) can be moved between now and the end of February whilst they are dormant.
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Use this period of downtime to transfer compost waste to an empty compost bin-turning and aerating it will assist in the breaking down process. This process is particularly relevant if you aren’t able to generate a good “steamy heat” to your compost bin. Be VERY sure to remove any discarded potatoes (even Potato peelings as these will sprout and regrow where you least want them) or any perennial weeds ie “sword grass roots and bindweed roots. If left and spread around they will become a nightmare to eradicate later so make this opportunity pay.
When you get to a point where it is sufficiently composted, consider spreading it on the plot or around fruit trees/bushes etc
Rhubarb may be planted, ( be careful NOT to plant NEW crowns where Rhubarb has been in the past six years) or existing crowns divided and replanted between now and March in rich free draining soil (a good deep hole with some old cardboard I the bottom helps to retain the moisture, then topped up with lots of well rotted compost or farm manure THEN some plain soil to stop roots coming into direct contact with the compost then the “rhubarb crown” to a depth to just cover the top, then water it in)