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January is the coldest month of the year and your garden may need extra protection this month from the elements. While much of nature is hibernating right now, it’s important to keep up with the plants and animals that are currently active and need attention. Here is a checklist of activities you should be doing in your garden this month.

General

• Use branches off of your old Christmas tree to cover ground covering perennials during deep frosts.

• Continue to rake up leaves when you see them. Too many leaves will bog down you grass and cause damage.

• Now is a good time to have your lawn equipment such as mowers and tillers serviced. This way they will roaring to go come spring.

• January is not a good month to sow any new vegetables directly into the ground. Spend this time checking on your potatoes and onions you have stored in your greenhouse. Make sure to check every vegetable for rot since one bad potato or onion can encourage its fellow veggies to rot as well.

• Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds. Keep birdbaths clean.

• Make sure your greenhouse is functioning properly. Is it warm enough? Secure? Vented on warm days?

• Clean your pots and trays to use come spring.

Fruits & Veggies

• Prune apple and pear trees.

• Start planning which veggies you want to plant this spring. Think of a schedule of how you will rotate your crops throughout the spring.

• Now is the time for chitting potatoes. Grab your seed potatoes and put them in a cool, dry place to sprout. Try using a cardboard egg crate to hold your potatoes. Make sure to place the eye side up so that your seed potatoes have no problems sprouting.

• Order veggie and perennial seeds for the spring now if you have not already.

• Start forcing rhubarb.

• Sow onion seeds in trays and leave in windowsill.

• On dry days, turn and mix manure & leaf mould into future veggie plots. Start getting that soil nutritious for your upcoming crops.

Laurel

Happy Gardening!

The Get into Gardening Team