Ah, December, you bring a plethora of delights.
We all love having a drink (or four) on Christmas Day while watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with our loved ones, but the weather certainly isn't conducive to good gardening.
But fear not, we have a list of some tasks you can be getting on with while the mercury plummets and the temperature in your oven, which is presumably cooking something festive at the moment, rises!
Harvest root crops
Root crops are hardy enough to survive relatively heavy rainfall and low temperatures, especially in their snug bed of soil, but the ground-level frost that is expected to come in the next few weeks and months might render any delicious veg unharvestable.
So now's a great time to get out into your garden and pull up those parsnips, leeks, winter cabbages and sprouts.
Check if your protection structures are in place
If you have some more slightly hardy plants out in a soil bed and have covered them with a protective screen to reduce the risks of frost and pests, check if it is still attached.
Not bothered to make one yet? Try cutting a two litre bottle of pop in half near its base and simply place the remaining object over your crops in order to give them a nice little home for the next few months.
But be warned, any serious amount of snowfall will render this bottle completely pointless, as the white stuff will simply freeze your plant anyway – so if the Met Office forecasts a winter storm, best to just harvest anything in the garden that's left.
Don't water your houseplants as much
Now that it's getting colder, your houseplants won't need as much water as they normally would.
Compensate for this by giving your potted greens around half as much liquid as you regularly do, although care must still be taken to monitor if any of your plants are wilting or turning yellow and if this is the case, then take appropriate action.
Prune trees
Prune your birches, acers and vines before December 25th rolls around in order to prevent bleeding. The same course of action should be taken if you have any apple or pear trees, unless these are trained against walls.
However, while some trees will look a bit bare in the winter, now is a great time to plant deciduous greenery as it will grow quickly no matter what the weather.
Check out our fantastic products
Okay, so there isn't actually that much to do and winter is universally considered the quiet period for gardening enthusiasts.
But you can go on our MowDIRECT lawnmower selection and choose a fantastic Christmas present for one of your loved ones!
Why not think about getting a Massey Ferguson MF50-22 FMZ sit-on mower, which provides all the comfort of a normal seated cutter but has a zero-turn radius and can rapidly avoid any hazards like pipes, wires or puddles.
This is absolutely perfect for someone who has a massive garden and needs to maintain it regularly and is available at a MowDIRECT only price of £4,199 (including VAT). Order now to avoid disappointment.
