Gardening in January consists mainly of planning for the growing year ahead. Most climates are in the middle of winter during this month, so getting outdoors to do physical gardening tasks is often not possible.
However, if you live in a climate that experiences warm January weather or if you have a greenhouse or other structure that allows you to grow plants this can be a productive month.
Get ready for the new gardening year during January with these timely tips.
Get Prepared
Clean and repair all gardening tools and containers. Take inventory of the things you have leftover from last year and what you will need for the upcoming growing season.
New garden supplies will be on the retailers’ shelves in January so you can easily find any tools and supplies needed.
Make a Plan
Spend some time browsing through seed catalogs and online to discover new plants to try and tips for growing bigger, better, and more produce more efficiently.
Make a plan for the plants you want to grow so when planting time comes you will have a master plan of what seeds to buy and where to plant them.
Work The Soil
If the ground is not frozen in your region, go ahead and apply a layer of compost or animal manure and work it into the soil.
If January weather is mild and the ground not frozen, you can place cloches or over the soil to warm the soil so seeds can be planted. Allow the cloches to remain on the soil for 2 weeks, then plant seeds and replace cloches.
Pruning Time
Near the end of January is an ideal time to prune fruit trees and summer-blooming shrubs. Don’t prune spring-blooming shrubs in January or you will be removing all the flower buds for this year.
Prune away diseased, injured, and crisscrossed branches from fruit trees, shrubs, and shade trees. Order fruit and shade trees now so you will have them ready to plant when spring arrives.
Remove Snow
Snow is heavy and will compact garden soil and cause damage to greenhouses and cold frames. Use this month to remove snow to prevent damage to soil, structures, and trees. Heavy snow will cause limb breakage on small trees and should be removed regularly.
Plant Bulbs
Plant spring-flowering bulbs near the end of January for spectacular blooms. Plant bulbs in containers in cold climates and plant them in-ground outdoors in warm climates.
Daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths, amaryllis, and other spring bloomers should be planted in the fall but late-winter planting will produce decent spring blooms.
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