Christmas is over, the cupboards are bare and, judging by all those empty bottles, we've probably enjoyed ourselves a bit too much.
January is a time to atone for the Christmas overindulgence by making resolutions – and what better way than to pledge to be more active in the garden?
The winter months may be cold and unforgiving but for the avid gardener there is still plenty of work to be done. Maintaining your garden over the winter is a great way to ease yourself into the New Year.
With the festive season drawing to a close, you don't want to leave that Christmas tree standing around much longer. An ideal way to make use of your tree is to turn it into mulch. Why waste time in taking it to a skip when you can recycle and use it to improve your soil?
Make sure you dig over any vacant lots you haven't covered already. To make life easier, you could invest in an Apache garden tiller – saving time and giving you excellent value for money.
If you have any apple or pear trees, now's the time to start pruning them to make sure you get a bumper crop during the summer. Try to create a framework of five main branches in the shape of a goblet.
Rhubarb can be forced during January to encourage growth and the stalks can be used for cooking. Clear away the ground surrounding the rhubarb and use a large pot or dustbin to cover the crowns. Make sure all sunlight is blocked out and insulate with straw if necessary. Eight weeks later, your rhubarb should be ready to use!
Make sure you also take advantage of any sunny days to ventilate your greenhouse. You can also use your spare time to repair any lawn edges that may have become damaged.
Planning for the summer months is a great way to save yourself a bit of time – there's nothing worse than a last-minute rush to get things done when you've got other things on your mind. So if you're keen on growing vegetables, make sure you've planned your crop rotations for the coming season.
Finally, let's not forget about our feathered friends – the birds need feeding during the winter months. Plenty of seed mixtures are available, but the best ones contain flaked maize, sunflower seeds and peanut granules.
If you have any leftovers for the birds, make sure they're not mouldy as some moulds can be very harmful. Remove any food that becomes mouldy from your bird table – if the birds aren't eating it, you're probably leaving too much out!
The current outlook for January remains unsettled, with spells of mild, wet and windy weather likely to continue. These will alternate with colder and showery periods, when you will hopefully be able to spend some time tending to your garden. The good news is that heavy snowfall and severe frosts look unlikely – although there may be a drier spell in late January, bringing some risk of frost.
