Stay indoors and get potting for next spring

In the garden, it’s that time of year again where we keep overhearing the phrase ‘the nights are drawing in now’ and they really are.
How this relates to gardening is quite neat because whilst there are fewer daylight hours in which to get our nails dirty, there are also fewer tasks to do so things dovetail nicely, which is often the way where nature is concerned.
Whilst it’s raining outside there are things you can be getting on with indoors either in the greenhouse or an area in the house where you are allowed to garden ‘as long as you tidy up afterwards’.
Potting up window boxes and pots with spring bulbs is one of those minimum effort for maximum effect jobs. Getting your spring planting right isn’t too arduous as it mostly involves envisioning a colour scheme by planting bulbs in the right place. At its most basic it’s almost as easy as a child choosing what crayon to use.
If you don’t fancy layering bulbs in a container, then you can always add instant colour by dropping in winter bedding plants like pansies, primroses, polyanthus, violas and bellis. All these will offer cheerful, uplifting colour to draw the eye away from the at times monochrome outlook we all try and avoid in winter.
If you want to go deeper into technical horticulture then try taking your own root cuttings. If you ve not done it before, try it first with mint, and then move onto established perennials like phlox or echinops. Dig around the rootball and snip one of the thicker roots that you can then divide into several lengths as long as your finger. Cut one end at an angle and plant this into a well watered pot leaving the flat end at the surface. Keep watered and in a sheltered place and you ll be pleasantly surprised when green leaves appear in April. This is how easy propagation is at times. Obviously its trial and error with which plants are more successful but its another way to save a small fortune on plants.
On the plot, broad beans are the marmite of allotment gardeners and Aquadulce is the go to hardy variety to push into the ground in rows. Choose a warm spell when the ground is less saturated. We are fortunate that it’s been very mild at times so you’ll certainly have a window for this however late its getting.
The plot can be used as a cold store by leaving some crops in the ground until you’re ready to use them. Parsnips, leeks, beetroot and cavalo nero can all wait until you’re ready for soup or a roast dinner. Brussels are starting now and you don’t have to wait until Christmas to enjoy them. Alternative root crops like scorzonera and salsify are ready now but Id wait for dry soil to dig them out. I still have dark memories of digging them out of swamp like conditions and they can be impossible to clean like this.
If you’re lucky enough to have a log burner then there’s no better way to use the potash than sprinkling it on the crops that love it. Garlic, banana trees, cane fruits and the tomato bed all benefit from this magic dust.
Go round and check protective measures as wood pigeons and blackbirds often work together in teams to untie knots, pick locks and rip strategic holes in netting. Don’t let them take away all that hard work it takes to look after brassicas or one of the greatest culinary pleasures of early spring in the form of purple sprouting.
Even on the shortest day, which is a mere month away, there is always another job to do in the garden and each second you spend out there enhances your physical and mental wellbeing that much more.