Jobs for the weekend

As we batten down the hatches for the worst of what the winter weather will throw at us, and as the central heating switches are being turned on and coal bunkers and log sheds around the country are being filled, don’t forget about the garden. 

The plants that have given such pleasure all year, many of which have now gone underground, will all benefit from a winter mulch around now. Use a probiotic compost such as Celtic Gold or a good farmyard manure to improve nutrient content and soil texture around the plants.

Homemade compost is also great for mulching, but whatever you use, it will improve the soil for better growth next year. And you are also creating a blanket around the root systems so that if we do get a particularly cold winter, it will provide a physical barrier between plant roots and the frozen snow and ice allowing them to survive.