Fruit and veg

• Place straw around the base of parsnips to prevent the soil freezing, which can make harvesting difficult
• Plant thornless blackberries, such as ‘Loch Ness’, for easy pickings of large, sweet, juicy fruits
• Winter prune large fruit trees to control their shape and size, and to increase their productivity
• Plant fruit trees trained as cordons, fans or espaliers to make good use of limited space
• Start to plan next year’s crops and order seeds
• Tidy up raspberry and blackberry beds – weed and mulch with compost, then tie new stems to support wires
• Lift and divide large clumps of rhubarb, replanting the outer sections into soil enriched with well-rotted manure
• Keep kale, winter cabbages and other brassicas covered with netting to protect them from hungry pigeons
• Finish clearing old crops and debris from the veg plot, but only compost healthy material
• Remove yellowed leaves on brassicas, so fungal diseases such as grey mould and downy mildew don’t take hold
• Make sure Brussels sprouts don’t topple over in strong winds – tie to a cane for support and earth up the stems
• Prune grapevines, cutting back side-branches to one or two buds from the main stem

Greenhouse

• Pot up a clump of rhubarb and place under a large bin to force an early crop of sweet stems
• Pick faded leaves and dead flowers regularly from plants overwintering in the greenhouse, such as pelargoniums
• Pinch out the tips of autumn-sown sweet peas to encourage bushier growth
• Deadhead indoor azaleas, water regularly and provide cool conditions, away from radiators, to prolong flowering
• Monitor greenhouse temperatures with a max-min thermometer to ensure heaters are working efficiently
• Bring hyacinths growing in the greenhouse into your home to flower, placing in a cool, bright spot
• Water plants sparingly to keep the greenhouse as dry as possible, which should reduce outbreaks of disease
• Prune greenhouse grapevines while dormant
• Move houseplants onto a sunny windowsill over the winter, to get as much light as possible during the shorter days
• Water florists’ cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) from below, and deadhead regularly to encourage more blooms
• Check overwintering plants in the greenhouse for red spider mite and other pests, and treat if necessary
• Put out fresh water for birds every day during frosty weather
• Bring all watering equipment indoors, including hoses and sprinklers, so they don’t freeze and split
• Scoop fallen leaves and debris from ponds, leave on the side so pondlife can escape, then add to the compost bin
• Stand your Christmas tree in a bucket of water in a sheltered spot outdoors until it’s time to bring it indoors
• Clear out your shed, and organise and clean your tools
• Work off Christmas excesses by digging over bare areas of ground, incorporating garden compost
• Check tree ties and stakes are firm enough to stand up to winter storms
• Prune blackcurrants once dormant, removing about a quarter of the old stems
• Order well-rotted manure or mushroom compost to dig in over winter or spread over bare soil for worms to take downi