To begin the new gardening year and help encourage children to get an interest in gardening and wildlife, why not make a Garden Diary - using folded A4 paper and a piece of ribbon to hold it all together.  They can have their own special, hand-made Garden Diary to write or draw thing's they notice in the garden each month and even record seeds and plants that they personally have planted!

Some of the thing's to do this month in the garden and in preparation are:-

Harvest: Brussel Sprouts, Winter Cabbage, Chard, Kale, Leeks.

Sow (under cover): Broad Beans (Express or Imperial Green Longpod), Spinach, Early Carrots, Shallots.

• Protect plants from the cold using fleecing or cloches
• Top up any containers with some new compost.
• Net fruit and vegetable crops to protect from birds
• Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering
• Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges
• Feed the birds and offer them access to water

Remember, as daunting as the idea of working outside maybe during these cold and wet months - the more you put in now, the greater the rewards will be later.

Prepare new ground by double digging

Here's a job to do if you are feeling particularly energetic! Winter is an ideal time to dig over any new beds or borders ready for spring sowing. As long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, it is fine to get to work.

Cover soil with cloches or sheets of polythene to keep it dry and frost-free before digging.

Clear away old crops from your edible plot

It's a good time to pick over the edible plot and remove any old, decaying crops.  Throw the debris on the compost heap, or if it is diseased - burn it or dispose in some other way.

Clean old pots and seedtrays

Cleaning pots is one of those jobs we tend to put off, until we really need to do it at sowing time. Scrub pots with a stiff pot brush in warm water and household detergent to get rid of encrusted dirt. This is often clean enough for most purposes or if you are in a hurry. Once they are free of the worst dirt, soak in a garden disinfectant. Disinfectants work slowly in cold winter weather so try to leave them for several days to be sure all spores are killed. Unwashed pots might need to be soaked for several weeks to let disinfectant penetrate the grime. Rinse before use.

Browse the 2010 seed catalogues

This is quite a fun job; browsing the seed catalogues and making a wish list for 2010. You'll want to get your order in soon, as if you have a greenhouse or indoor propagator you can start sowing at the end of January.  January is also the time when seed potatoes start to appear, and some of the newer ones will be in limited supply, so get in quick!

Feed the birds

Winter is a particularly tough time for birds as food is scarce and water may be frozen. You don't have to buy special bird food - Starlings love peanuts and Thrushes & Blackbirds like over-ripe apples and raisins. If you are buying special food, consider buying fat balls as they are high in energy.

·         Hang bird feeders  and put food on bird tables

·         Offer drinking water in birdbaths

·         Ensure the bird baths and bird tables are regularly cleaned

·         Put up nesting boxes for birds in suitable trees or on buildings

Your tools & equipment

·         Take your petrol mower to a dealer for maintenance

·         Check that you have all the garden tools and equipment you will need

 Tidy the Garden

Weeding done now will save time in the spring. Perennial weed roots thicken and can spread over the winter months, making them more of a problem if left until next spring.

Finish collecting leaves and clearing old plants from beds and borders.

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