Gardens may be looking dreary and desolate in January and February, with plants dormant and trees without their leaves.

While there may not be much to do before the growing season begins in spring, gardeners should still take care and not get ahead of themselves when it comes to planting.

A gardener has shared the "most common mistake" people make this month that can spell disaster for future plants, flowers and vegetables.

Content creator Niall Gardens, who posts videos on YouTube, says gardeners should never sow seeds too early, or risk a "February disappointment" when they all die off.

"Don't let January enthusiasm lead to February disappointment. One of the most common mistakes that gardeners make this month is simply sowing their seeds too early," he said. 

"I know that it's really tempting when you see catalogues arrive or social media is buzzing with new season excitement.

"But here's the thing, daylight hours are still short and low light levels mean weak leggy seedlings - and seedling disaster. 

"Seeds sown too early often just result in plants that are desperate for light and warmth that they simply can't get indoors and this sets them up for stress and poor growth later on - if they survive at all."

However, the gardening expert added that there are still plenty of jobs you can do around the garden that don't involve planting seeds.

He said: "While the garden might look sleepy, it's actually prime time to start ticking off jobs that are harder to do when everything is in full swing."

Niall suggests doing jobs such as pruning, tidying up, cleaning tools, fixing broken structures, adding that "all these jobs are so much easier when plants aren't growing like mad things."

If you're still desperate to get ahead on growing, you can prep for planting seedling in spring by cleaning trays, organising seeds and creating a growing calendar.