An old Victorian idea is to make a manure hotbed by piling a mixture of manure and straw (or leaves), to be rotted over the winter, into an empty compost bin. This is then covered with a layer of John Innes No 3 compost. A cold frame placed on top will benefit from the heat generated by the rotting manure, and this will aid the germination of crops to be started in January for planting outside in February.

Lift and store root crops such as carrots, beetroot and turnips.

Parsnips can be left in the ground until needed, or lifted and then buried in a shallow trench for easy access when needed. They taste better when frosted. Make sure to mark the trench, and to cover it with a protective layer of cardboard if hard frosts are forecast.

Harvest Brussels sprouts. Pick the largest sprouts from the bottom of the stalk first.

Stake or earth up any Brussels sprouts stalks that look leggy and vulnerable to wind rock.

Some of the spring cabbages that were planted out earlier in the autumn can be used as winter greens (if they are large enough), cutting them before they have a chance to form hearts next spring.

Lift and store celery - it can be heeled in just outside the back door, for easy use. It can also be thickly mulched in situ, using straw or bracken held in place with fleece and hoops of wire, and then lifted when needed.

It isn’t too late to force chicory and seakale. Dig up chicory roots to be forced. Pot them up and position them in a dark warm place. The tasty chicons will appear in three to six weeks. Seakale is best forced outside. A light-proof upturned pot or cardboard box/tube works well.

If you have not done so already, now is the time to dig over and incorporate soil improvers into vacant areas of the vegetable plot. You can cover these areas with thick polythene to keep the soil dry and make it easier to work in the spring - particularly useful for heavy clay soils. Clear polythene will increase the soil temperature, enabling earlier sowings in spring. Black polythene will suppress weeds.

Clear late-season debris off the vegetable plots, and dispose of it as advised below in pest & disease watch.

Clean and store bamboo canes in the shed or other dry place to ensure they're still in good condition for next year. Broken or rotted ones can be shortened, where possible, for re-use.

Pest & disease watch

Ensure that crops remaining in the ground, and new sowings under cloches, are protected from mice. Cloches should be securely closed, and traps, bait, or ultrasonic devices nearby may be of some help.

Place mice controls near stored vegetables as well.

Slugs can still pose a threat, and slug controls are necessary now, as always.

Pigeons are serious pests of brassicas and other vegetables. Cloches, frames of netting or fleece, and metal cages will help to keep them away from vulnerable crops.

Pick yellowing leaves off Brussels sprouts and other brassicas promptly, to prevent spread of grey mould and brassica downy mildew.

Remove all remaining plant debris from the vegetable plot. Do not compost any diseased material such as blight-infected potatoes, onions suffering from white rot and any crops with rust. Burn or bin the diseased material, or bury it more than 60cm (24in) deep in the ground.

Digging-over in winter exposes soil pests to frost and bird predators. Frost will help improve soil structure.

Attracting wildlife to your garden (see wildlife gardening section) can help to control pest problems for next year.

Regularly check stored vegetables, removing any rotting or mouldy specimens.

January February March April May June July August September October November December