Eight Gardening Tasks to Complete in January
Most gardeners across America are experiencing a milder winter than usual, which means expanded options for fall tasks you may not have encountered, as well as some extra steps you may want to take for plants that need cold weather. .
Order your light bulbs
I usually think about bulbs in the fall, and I place orders for bulbs that I don’t have the space or funds for, lured by photos in bulb catalogs and the thought of thousands of tulips in the spring. I missed it this year due to life, but with the ground still suitable for planting, I am tempted every day by the crazy end of season bulb sale. If the land where you live is still cultivable and you have the time, a day of working in the fresh, cold air is more fun than you think. My favorite light bulb brands like Brecks , Holland Farm , and Eden Brothers are offering crazy discounts of over 50%. And it’s not just about tulips. Now is the time to buy expensive bulbs like onions on sale.
Prune bushes and trees now that the leaves have disappeared.
Now that most of the trees and shrubs are in winter dormancy and I don’t have other things to do in the garden to distract me, I take the time to really look at them. Don’t just hack them; think about the structure of the plant. Once all the leaves are gone, I can really see the branches and take time to think about how the pruning will affect the growth pattern. For example, the giant hydrangea by my door is leafless and exposed, so I can be sure to cut out any branches growing inward or crossing another branch. Since all the tips now have buds, I can more carefully select which branches are old and which are new. Never cut off more than one-third of the plant, but now is the time to sharply prune old bushes to encourage healthy growth. I’m taking the same approach to blueberries that I ignored last fall.
Now that they’re exposed, I can see more clearly where to prune the Japanese maple and cherry tree branches overhanging the street. These overhanging branches are at greatest risk during winter and spring storms, so the quiet of this time of year is a good time to attend to them if you haven’t already.
If you need to move shrubs and trees, now is the time. A cherry tree that has overgrown its space is on my agenda this month and I started by simply going around the tree with a shovel to get it ready. The rain will do the rest for me, so when I’m ready, the ground will be too. This is also a good time to plant shrubs and trees, although it may seem otherwise.
You may have to do the cold stratification yourself.
Many seeds, whether poppy or phlox, require (and sometimes do) a cooling period of six weeks. We are running out of time to fulfill this requirement; The sowing season will begin soon. If the winter is mild enough, you can do cold stratification in the refrigerator.
Visit your garden center
One of my favorite places to take my dog for a walk is a garden center. Unlike spring and summer, when garden centers are full of bright flowers and seasonal help, winter is when help is available year-round and there is time to spare. Right now they can take 30 minutes to talk to you about a particular hedge or what kind of clematis will bloom on your wall. Take this time to really delve into their expertise in all things gardening. Do you want your soil to be truly healthy? These are the people most likely to be able to help and guide you through the fertilizer section with the time and care they won’t be able to give in March.
Test your soil and make any necessary adjustments.
Speaking of soil, the most important factor in the success of your plants is its health, and unfortunately, simply adding fertilizer to the soil will not help. You need to know what’s in your soil, and now is a great time to work on it. There are soil kits on the market, but it’s usually best to do a soil test to understand what you’re working with. Your garden center can help you with this – just give them a call.
Review all your notes for the 2023 gardening season.
If you’ve been using any of my methods for tracking your garden, be it a visual journal or a written journal , now is the time to revisit them. Review and try to come up with a list of takeaways for spring garden planning. I tend to plant more or some things and less than others, move things around, replace them, etc. This is really the perfect time as seed buying season approaches.
Start dreaming and planning
Once you reach these conclusions, start sketching out a plan for this spring. What will go where; how many plants do you need; Do you need new grilles or should they be moved? I don’t understand the varieties yet, I’m just worried about what I’ll plant and where, so I know that I’ll need 10 tomato plants or five types of peas. I sketch this in my garden journal.
Collect seed catalogs
I’ve been ignoring this stack until I can give it time, but make sure you at least get the catalogs, and if not, go to the websites and subscribe to them. The websites are helpful and I end up ordering, but the catalog with its dog-eared edges is, in my opinion, invaluable for finding seeds. The country is full of seed businesses, and I tend to lean towards seed businesses with test gardens nearby so I know the seeds will work where I live. You can find yours by Googling. As a backup for variety, I make sure to have the Burpee and Johnny Seeds catalogs.