Get ahead of the curve – by planning which plants you’ll grow this year

New year, new you, new sowing plan? Happy 2022. May your gardens grow. Rows of cockleshells, optional.

Now we know January can be a cold month, likely to harbour frost. So it’s worth checking your plot one early-ish morning to see where the icy patches are. Avoid siting tender plants there. There’s still much other stuff to do – Including staying snug inside.

It is time, from now, to order seed potatoes for planting out in late February or March. We stick to first earlies, probably something waxy, though I am also prone to being seduced by a pretty burgundy or purple potato. Rules as usual: leave in a tray on a cool (unheated) dry place in natural light. I will stick to chitting in egg trays with most ‘eyes’ upwards as I learned from Dudley, my dad. You must do what you think best.

If your ground isn’t frozen, you can catch up with broad beans. And even garlic, but we will wait a couple of months and maybe add onions (though I’ll admit to quite constant disappointment). I often choose to admire Mary’s instead. Either way, you should be able to buy/order onion sets and garlic now.

Sort though seed packets and planting plans for the year if you haven’t already. It takes me a few goes in a fairly futile attempt to be ruthless. If nothing else, it’s good to check for damaged packs or insect infestation, particularly if you store seed in a shed. We’ll also order our rarer stock around now in case it sells out later in the season.

We’ll flirt with making plans for what to grow where through the year, though it is unlikely we will stick to it if past years are an indicator. Howard or I tend to stand where we think the bed or row might go while the other has a think. So please be more you than me.

Allan Jenkins’s Plot 29 (4th Estate, £9.99) is out now. Order it for £8.49 from guardianbookshop.com