More advice for winter gardens.

In the second part of our gardening round-up, here’s what you should be doing this month for fruit and vegetable patches, courtesy of http://www.thehappygardeners.co.uk/.

Fruit
Now is the perfect time to prune fruit trees to maintain an open, balanced structure and encourage quality fruit production. However plums, cherries and other stone fruits should not be pruned until the summer as winter pruning will make them susceptible to silver leaf fungus.
Prune grape vines.
Protect wall trained peaches and nectarines from wet winter weather which spreads the peach leaf curl fungus. Construct a screen of clear polythene positioned over the plant but not touching it.
Protect the tips of fig tree branches as these will carry the fruits for next year and are susceptible to frost. Cover with fleece or straw.
Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted.
Apply glue bands or greasebands to the trunks of fruit trees to prevent wingless female winter moths climbing the trunks and laying their eggs in the branches.
If you’d like to grow your own delicious raspberries next year, plant raspberry canes now while they are dormant.
If your strawberry plants are over 3 years old, order some new strawberry runners to replace them. Old strawberry plants can harbour diseases and tend to lose vigour and productivity.
Plant blueberries this winter for an attractive addition to the fruit garden. With pretty white flowers, delicious berries and fiery autumn foliage, these acid loving plants provide constant interest.

Vegetables
Lift the last of your leeks and parsnips before the soil becomes frozen, and heel them in to a trench beside a convenient path. They will keep well for several months like this and can be easily brought indoors when required.
Broad Bean Aquadulce Claudia can be sown outdoors and the Sutton broad bean variety can be sown under cloches.
For large onions, seed can be sown during December and early January transplanting the young plants outdoors in spring.
Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb to renew the plant’s vigour. Sections taken from the outside of the plant are better than those from the centre.
Remove yellowing leaves from your winter brassicas as they are no use to the plant and may harbour pests and diseases.
If you haven’t already, cut down dead asparagus foliage and the top growth of Jerusalem artichokes. Order your asparagus crowns now for planting in spring.
Dig over empty borders and pile manure on top – let the worms and frosts break up the clods of soil.
Try digging a trench where you will be growing your beans next year – fill it with compostable kitchen waste (not cooked food) and cover with soil again. This will rot down and improve the growing conditions for your beans.Vacant areas in the vegetable plot can be dug ready for sowing and planting in spring.
Chicory roots can be lifted at this time by cutting back tops and potting up which will force them to produce blanched, tender chicons with whitened leafy shoots. Three roots should be contained in a 25cm (10″) pot placing another pot (upturned) on top so that light can’t penetrate.
If you’re looking for something to grow at this time of year try mushroom growing kits for a more unusual addition to the garden.
Cover winter brassicas with netting to protect them from pigeons.
Keep fleece to hand to protect hardy salad crops such as Lettuce Winter Gem, winter land cress, purslane, and corn salad on cold nights.
Protect any remaining celery plants left in the soil by covering with straw or fleece.
Cover heavy clay soil with polythene to keep it drier and allow winter digging.
While many parts of the garden and allotment are cleared, use this opportunity to install a permanent network of hard wearing paths.

Fruit
Now is the perfect time to prune fruit trees to maintain an open, balanced structure and encourage quality fruit production. However plums, cherries and other stone fruits should not be pruned until the summer as winter pruning will make them susceptible to silver leaf fungus.
Prune grape vines.
Protect wall trained peaches and nectarines from wet winter weather which spreads the peach leaf curl fungus. Construct a screen of clear polythene positioned over the plant but not touching it.
Protect the tips of fig tree branches as these will carry the fruits for next year and are susceptible to frost. Cover with fleece or straw.
Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted
Apply glue bands or greasebands to the trunks of fruit trees to prevent wingless female winter moths climbing the trunks and laying their eggs in the branches.
If you’d like to grow your own delicious raspberries next year, plant raspberry canes now whilst they are dormant.
If your strawberry plants are over three years old, order some new strawberry runners to replace them. Old strawberry plants can harbour diseases and tend to lose vigour and productivity.
Plant blueberries this winter for an attractive addition to the fruit garden. With pretty white flowers, delicious berries and fiery autumn foliage, these acid loving plants provide constant interest.

Part three tomorrow.