January Gardening Tips

January may be the coldest month of the year, one that will test the hardiness of the landscape.  During short January days, the sky may be cloudy more than sunny.  To that end, January is a time of renewal, as nursery catalogs arrive and inspire new ideas for the gardening season to come!

There are other things you can do to help with the winter blues!   Here are some helpful tips:

Indoor Gardening:

Create a humid zone for ferns, begonias, miniature roses and other indoor plants.

Plant “Paper White” narcissus in a pot of rich, well-drained growing mix.

Hang a two-tube fluorescent shop light over a table or shelf to make a grow light garden for pots or flats of leafy vegetables or herbs.

Groom houseplants and pinch back lightly to shape.  Turn window plants weekly for even development.

Woody Plants: 

Protect plants from de-icing salt, using sand or wood ashes on walks in your yard.

Spray deer repellent on evergreens.

Flowers:

Where the soil stays wet most of the winter, avoid compounding the problems by mulching.  Mulch only well drained areas.

Kitchen Garden:

Plan a gravel or wood chip walk into the vegetable garden for access when the ground is wet.

Cover low evergreen herbs such as lavender and thyme with evergreen boughs to help protect them from wind and cold.

Check stored squash, onions, apples, cabbage, or other long-keeping harvest items.  Throw away any that have gone bad.

Plan the summer’s vegetable garden.  Rotate crops.  Check last year’s records for successful varieties and quantities.

Around The Yard: 

Feed birds mixed seed and suet.  Provide a constant water supply.

Check your tools, be sure they are clean, oiled and sharp.

Before reusing seed trays and pots, wash them in warm soapy water and sterilize with a diluted bleach solution.

Make sure you are on seed and plant mailing lists or check Internet catalog sites.  Place orders early before the best items are sold out.  Look for organic seeds as some commercial growers may harvest seeds that have been sprayed with pesticides which could be harmful to bees and other pollinators.