ROB'S PLOT Christmas cheer!

It might be a bleak midwinter but Rob Smith is on his plot happily getting on with a range of December tasks

- Rob Smith

As it gets darker and colder this month, there are gardening jobs to be getting on with in the shed or the warmth of the house. If you use heated propagators, heat mats or grow lights, now is the best time to check that they are all in good condition and work well, especially if they have not been used for a few months as mice can damage the wiring. After making sure everything is in good order and working well, make sure the equipment will still do the job for you in spring and look at replacing any that's damaged.

By ordering new equipment early in the month you'll beat the Christmas postal rush, plus you can always drop hints to family and friends if you need something new for the garden!

CLEANING HAND TOOLS

Hand tools also need some attention, especially those which won’t be used until the spring. I find that it’s best to remove any rust or stubborn marks with a wire brush before using a coarse file to work any nicks or dints out of the cutting edge; after this you can use a finer file if needed. Finally, I wipe the whole tool over with boiled linseed oil, both the wood and metal alike. This gives protection to both and helps rejuvenate the wood. One word of warning: make sure to keep any linseed-oiled rags in a tin and keep the lid on the bottle as they can combust in certain circumstances.

While you are cleaning, it’s worth removing the writing from any plastic plant labels so they are ready to use in spring. Pencil can be removed with water, or methylated spirits (or nail varnish remover) will get rid of pen. As your labels break over time, it’s worth buying wooden lolly sticks to use as replacements; just remember they only last a year before they begin to rot, but they can be put on the compost heap.

INSULATING TAPS