THE vegetable gardeners among us should take advantage of the lack of time to be spent in plots in the deep mid-winter with some quiet reflection.

According to advice from the National Allotment Spociety, December is the ideal time to reflect on your successes and to consider what went wrong with some crops earlier in the year.

Always remember, there are no failures in gardening. It is always down to the weather, furry things or, if all else fails, acts of God.

Allow yourself a little relaxing time around the new year and be ready to hit the ground running in 2016.

Keep picking Brussels sprouts to ensure the sprouts don’t blow open. Also harvest winter cabbage regularly. Parsnips and leeks can be left in the ground to be lifted as needed.

If a prolonged cold or wet spell is forecast, you can lift leeks and parsnips to store them in containers of old compost to be used at a later date.

Cabbages, and even sprouts, can be lifted with their roots in a soil ball and stored in a shed or greenhouse. Don’t forget to water the soil occasionally.

There isn’t anything to sow in the garden this month except your onion seed, which should be sown in trays or pots in a gentle heat towards the end of the year.

Treat yourself for once and spend some dream time looking through seed catalogues putting your order together and posting it asap.

Check over all of your tools in the shed to make sure they are safe and fit to use next season. Clean the metal and wipe it over with something like 3 in 1 oil.

Clean and wipe down all wooden handles with linseed oil. It not only preserves the wood, but makes them more comfortable on the hands.

Check for pests and diseases on any produce in store, especially for rat and mouse damage. Set traps to catch them if you have to.