The party is over and we are entering the dispiriting time of January in this new year. We receive less sunlight and warmth because it is still in the middle of winter. However, that’s not the reason for you to stop doing your gardening hobby.
While we seem not likely to speak about gardening in January, but this is not also the wrong time to talk about it. There are actually many things you can do in your garden that will bring you many benefits to both your garden and your body.
Experts even had their words about gardening, Monty Don, a famous gardener and presenter of Gardener’s World said that gardening actually benefits him both in health and bank balance. “Gardening has helped my wellbeing immeasurably on a number of levels,” he said.
That’s why he keeps doing it routinely to achieve the benefits, especially health benefits to overcome his occasional poor health. Not only that, gardening has also helped him to get through the hard times while he was facing depression.
Benefits Of Winter Gardening
Gardening indeed requires you to keep moving around doing stuffs and that can be counted as a physical activity, and physical activities can give you many benefits. “In terms of physical activity, it is increasingly shown as one of the best and most healthy things that anybody can do,” he said.
The gardening activates will help you by giving aerobic, isotonic, and isometric exercises that will benefit your bones and muscles. Not only that, those activities will also boost the health of your cardiovascular and respiratory system.
“There are people in their 90s who are gardening well because you have to bend, stoop, lift, twist, turn, walk, reach. It’s a full range of movement,” explained Monty. That’s why, your strength, endurance, and flexibility will get a boost from it.
And while you usually only stay inside your house if there is no urgency to get out in January, that’s maybe one of the reasons why January has the freshest air. Fresh air will give you a boost in this dispiriting time of the year both mentally and physically.
“It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, if it’s a howling gale or rain, being outside in the light and in the air is intrinsically very good for your health, particularly if you are moving around,” said Monty quoted from The Irish News.
Tidying Up Your Garden
If you are looking for gardening things to do in January, there are actually many activities you can do. You can prepare your garden for upcoming spring or simply just take care of your lawn to avoid diseases when the plants grow back.
Fallen leaves that litter your garden especially need your attention. Because while you are seeking protection in your warm house the leaves are the place where snails and slugs seek for protection in winter, and wait for your plants in the upcoming summer.
You can also fertilize your garden using compost or manure by digging some empty areas and put in the fertilizers. By doing this, not only your hibernating plants will grow better in the spring but you can also have a readied-up ground if you want to put some new plants later.
Pouring some wood ashes on the bottom you your hibernating plants is also a great idea to do in January. Since you might have problems with huge pile of ashes from your fireplace. The wood ash will be a natural fertilizer for your plants.
Pruning deciduous trees and shrubs in January will also help you gain the expected view of your garden in the spring. This activity needs just a little of your time and can be done anytime when you have frost free days throughout the January.
In the cold January weather, some of your gardening tools might be useless most of the time. This is the right time to prepare them for upcoming gardening works that they must do this year. Clean them and apply some oil or sharpen some tools which need it.
Introducing New Plants
While if you have done all those preparation for your garden, you might want to introduce some new plants to the community. January is the right time to sow the seeds of some new flowers or vegetables for your garden.
There are numerous kinds of flower seeds that you can sow in January. Sweet pea seeds, lobelia seeds, geranium seeds, antirrhinum, are some examples of many flower seeds that can be sown in January to show its first flower in the summer.
While the kinds of vegetable whose seeds can be sown in January are also various. Carrots, broad beans, cabbage, leek, broccoli, cauliflower, onion, strawberry, shallot, and kale are the kinds of vegetables whose seeds can be sown in January.
In addition, if you used living Christmas tree, you can start to introduce it to your garden after doing some required adaptation steps before. But in this case, do not forget to regularly water it until the living Christmas tree can establish itself in your garden soil.
Pay Attention To Your Garden
If you are sowing seeds in January, you need to pay more attention to them because winds that blow in the cold temperature may torture them. You need to give them some cover from the cold wind and maybe falling snow, so they can actually start to grow.
You also should pay attention to the grass in your lawn. If it is possible, avoid walking on the grass in the coldest frosty weather. Walking on the grass may damage them and they will not be able to grow as beautiful as they used to be.
And if the rain comes, sometimes water will sit in a puddle in your garden, this will give your prepared garden a little less pretty. Use your garden fork to help the water find its way to drainage by casually spike it slowly.
So, actually there are many gardening things to do in January. Thus, rather than curling up in your sheet and do nothing, why don’t you just go out, do some gardening work, and seize its benefits instead?
Amidst the myriad benefits of gardening, it’s essential to remain aware of potential health risks associated with certain gardening practices. The recent Roundup weed killer lawsuit, for instance, has drawn attention to the hazards linked to specific garden products. Being mindful of the substances and chemicals utilized in your garden is pivotal for a safe and healthy gardening experience, especially during your activities in January.
Sources:
Leave a Reply