January is often a month for catching up with jobs that weren't done at the end of autumn.

It is possible to turn over the beds and even plant new specimens if the weather is mild and the soil workable, although this is usually left until spring since a sudden drop in temperature is not good for new plants.

Take care not to damage new shoots emerging from early bulbs and perennials that will be just below the surface of the soil.

Seed sowing can start now, bearing in mind that lots of frost-free space will be needed for the young plants by April as it will still be too cold to put them outside. Annual bedding plants such as lobelia, salvia, petunia and busy lizzie can be started early.

If space is a problem, limit the sowing to one small container per plant type and do the rest in March. If you have a heated greenhouse or plenty of windowsills, try using a module rather than trays. A small pinch of seed is sown in each compartment and left to grow. When the plantlets are ready to transplant, they are simply removed by pushing the base of the cell and dislodging soil and rootball together, avoiding tedious pricking out and minimising root disturbance.

Sweet peas can be sown in autumn but if you missed that date, January is a good time to get them started. They are long-rooted plants, best grown in special paper tubes either from garden suppliers or made at home by rolling thick layers of newspaper into 25-30cm long tubes.

Fasten them top and bottom with paper clips and place in a deep-sided container such as an empty ice cream or margarine box for support. Fill with seed compost and water then plant two-three seeds about 2.5cm deep in each tube.

Remember to look at the seed packets the day before sowing to check if any need to be soaked overnight.

Once sown, keep at room temperature then put on a cool windowsill when they begin to come through. After a couple of weeks the plants can be put in a cold frame until April when they will be ready to put into the garden. Cover the frame with old carpet overnight if frost is forecast.

Plants kept on the windowsill will benefit from hardening off before they are planted out. Do this gradually over a week or so, slowly lengthening the amount of time they are left outside.

Updated: 15:59 Monday, January 21, 2002