10 gardening tips for December

If you’re lucky enough to have planted winter veg such as cabbages, December’s the time to harvest them. If not, this quiet time in the garden gives you the perfect opportunity to start planning what you’d like to grow next year.

1. Harvest your kale, leeks, cabbages and chard.
2. Prune soft fruit, like redcurrants, blackcurrants or raspberries.
3. Go careful when watering protected plants by doing it in the morning to ensure the plants are dry before cool night temperatures.
4. If you’ve got any veg that needs eating, check out this ‘no rules’ soup recipe.
5. Try making seasonal decorations from natural materials with the kids. Here's how to make a wreath.
6. It’s time to order and enjoy seed catalogues. Get together with friends to have a look at what you could grow this year.
7. Take hardwood cuttings of woody material.
8. Take root cuttings of herbaceous plants (plants without woody stems, which die back in winter).
9. If you love digging and have heavy soil, on a day when the ground’s not frozen or too wet get out and turn the veg patch to let the frost in.
10. Compost all the garden clippings and fallen leaves for next year’s compost. Turn your compost heap to let fresh air in, which will help the beasties inside turn your waste to compost. Then you can cover your heap with newspapers or carpet to keep it warm and not wet.

With thanks to Catherine Cutler.