Gardening in January is full of variety: In addition to cutting trees and bushes, harvesting and sowing are also on the agenda.
Even if the garden seems to start the new year in absolute calm in January, it still needs regular care at this time of year. In fact, there is quite a bit of gardening to do in the first month of the year. For example, January is known to be a good month for trimming trees and shrubs. But even the vegetable garden does not lie still and silent in January, but seasonal vegetables can still be harvested and plants for the coming spring can be brought forward. In our article we will tell you what work is due in the garden in January and what gardening tips you should know for January.
The vegetable garden in January
When you think of gardening in January, the vegetable garden rarely comes to mind. In fact, you can continue to cultivate the vegetable garden in January: If you have made provisions in the fall, you will still be able to harvest delicious vegetables in January. But you can also start sowing seeds on the windowsill in January - you just have to do without planting vegetables in January due to the cold weather. The most important task in the vegetable garden in January, however, is the planning: bring your garden calendar up to date in January and enter all the important dates such as sowing, planting out or fertilizing. Don't forget to consider crop rotation and suitable bed neighbours, and determine exactly which plant should move into which bed this year - this way you have an optimal overview and can start the new gardening year well prepared.
What to sow in January?
If you look at your garden in January, you often don't think about sowing in view of the cold temperatures and adverse weather conditions. In fact, gardening in January also includes the cultivation of new plants: the first vegetable plants can already be sown and grown on the warm windowsill. You can even sow particularly robust types of vegetables in the greenhouse or in the cold frame. Here we have summarized for you what you can still sow in Januarycan.
What to sow in January?
Windowsill: Artichokes, eggplant, broccoli, chili, kohlrabi, cress, microgreens, peppers, physalis, leek, lettuce, sprouts
Greenhouse: Garden cress, lamb's lettuce, radish, spinach, white cabbage, winter purslane, winter cress
Cold frame: Radish, spinach
Beet: wild garlic, woodruff
Tip: With a nutrient-poor, special seeding soil such as our peat-free Plantura organic herb and seeding soil, the cultivation of vegetables and co. succeeds particularly well.
Seasonal vegetables in January
Not only sowing, but also harvesting is part of gardening in January. Those who have taken precautions in summer and autumn can now look forward to fresh vegetables from their own garden. However, when harvesting seasonal vegetables in January, make sure you choose days that are as frost-free as possible. Especially if the plant is not completely harvested, but only some leaves, frost is an additional stressor for the plant and can lead to the plant dying.
Seasonal Vegetables in January
Beet: Mushrooms, kale, parsnips, leeks, radicchio, Brussels sprouts, black salsify, turnips, Jerusalem artichoke, savoy cabbage
Greenhouse: Chicory, lamb's lettuce, celeriac, spinach
Further work in January in the vegetable garden
Of course, there is not only sowing and harvesting in the vegetable garden in January, but also some other gardening work. We have summarized the work involved in our garden tips for January.
Building cold frames: Cold frames are a great way to start planting vegetables in early spring. With a little manual skill, you can use the extra time in January and build your own cold frame for earlier sowing.
Protect greenhouse from snow: If January is particularly snowy, you should keep a close eye on your greenhouse. Especially in the case of unheated greenhouses with a low roof pitch, the masses of snow tend to remain on the roof panels and, in the worst case, can cause them to break. You should therefore regularly clear the roof of your greenhouse with a snow plow or a broom.
Check stocks: Many types of vegetables such as carrots, potatoes or beetroot can be used because of their excellentShelf life can be kept over the winter. Regular checks for rotten spots are necessary to ensure that the supplies last a long time - you should sort out affected vegetables to prevent them from spreading to the other vegetables.
The ornamental garden in January
The ornamental garden impresses with its very own magic in January: In addition to the fascinating sight of hoarfrost on perennials and grasses, you can also occasionally see enchanting blossoms that defy wind and weather. While the garden gradually comes to life again in January, the gardener can also slowly get active again in January and do the first gardening work in the ornamental garden.
What's blooming in January?
When the first delicate flowers appear in January and even defy the cold and snow, this is an almost magical sight. No wonder, then, that winter flowering plants are extremely popular with gardeners. But which flowers bloom in January? We'll tell you which plants already have particularly beautiful flowers in January.
What's blooming in January?
Flowers and Perennials: Christmas Rose, Lenten Rose, Snowdrop, Snow Heather, Little Winter Agaric
Stems: Winter Flower (Chimonanthus praecox), Winter Viburnum (Viburnum farreri) , Winter Mahonia (Mahonia x media 'Winter Sun'), Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum ), Winter Cherry (Prunus subhirtella 'Autumnalis'), Witch Hazel (Hamamelis spec.)
What flowers can you plant in January?
Even if January with its cold weather seems anything but friendly to us, it is still possible to plant or sow flowers. In particular, you should not forget to sow cold germs when gardening in January: Christmas rose (Helleborus niger), monkshood (Aconitum) and Co need the low ones temperatures in order to be able to germinate in spring. But what else can you plant in January? In fact, it is possible to plant flower bulbs in January. Although autumn planting is recommended for most bulbs, if you find some bulbs that you have forgotten, there is no problem planting them now. If you want to plant daffodils (Narcissus), tulips (Tulipa) or crocuses (Crocus) in January, must wait for frost-free weather, however, since planting is almost impossible when the ground is frozen. It is also known that when planting flower bulbs in JanuaryDelayed rooting and later flowering occur again and again. Growth disturbances should be expected, especially when planting tulips in January, but also when planting daffodils in January. However, these only appear in the first year - in the following year the plants flower at the same time as their relatives planted in autumn.
What flowers to plant in January?
Cold germ: cyclamen, astilbe, Christmas rose, monkshood, cornflower, pasqueflower, poppy, peony, cowslip, globeflower
Bulbs: Crocus, Daffodil, Snowdrop, Tulip
More Gardening in January
In order to be able to admire your ornamental garden in all its splendor in the coming year, gardening is not just about planting in January. We have summarized what other work needs to be done in our garden tips for January.
Cut off runners: For many trees and shrubs, such as sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides), willow (Salix ) or lilac (Syringa), you can see numerous root suckers sticking out of the ground in January. If you don't want your plant to multiply uncontrollably in the garden, you should grab your spade now. Gardening in January involves cutting off the root suckers and then removing them from the ground.
Road s alt protection: Hedges and shrubs in particular near the road can suffer from the use of road s alt in January and in the worst case even die. In the best case, the plants should not come into contact with road s alt if possible. However, if this is not possible, it is important to grab the water hose as quickly as possible. Once the ground is no longer frozen, it helps to water the plants copiously to minimize the concentration of s alt in the soil and prevent s alt damage.
Use the Christmas tree sensibly: If you banish your Christmas tree from your home in January, you should definitely not throw it away. Instead, you can recycle the Christmas tree excellently: The brushwood is a great protection against the cold, which is particularly loved by sensitive perennials.
The orchard in January
Even if there is unfortunately no more fruit to harvest in the orchard in winter, it should never be neglected. Quite the opposite - who is also in the coming year overIf you want to enjoy a rich harvest, gardening in January should be used to take special care of your orchard. In fact, the first month of the year is not only suitable for pruning apple trees (Malus), but also for propagating some berry bushes. You should also use the time in January to check your stored fruit and, if necessary, sort out fruit with rotten spots so that the rot does not spread to the other fruit.
Caring for Strawberries: Strawberries (Fragaria) planted in late summer will need a little help in the garden in January. While the strawberries overwinter, frost can push up the root ball. Gently push the root ball back into the soil to protect the delicate roots from the elements. You can also remove diseased or dead leaves from the plant at the same time.
Propagating hazelnuts: If you want to grow another hazel (Corylus avellana), you shouldn't miss January. By shedding young ground shoots, you can easily grow a new plant in frost-free weather. For this purpose, a narrow, deep slit is dug in January, in which the ground-level shoot is placed so that it can stand up as vertically as possible. By next autumn the shoot will have formed new roots in the soil and can then be separated from the mother plant.
Cut pome fruit: Pip fruit such as apples, pears (Pyrus) or quinces (Cydonia oblonga ) can be cut on days with a temperature above -5 °C. When pruning the fruit trees, however, care should be taken to choose a day that is as dry as possible for the pruning - this minimizes the risk of pathogens penetrating through the cuts.
Grafting fruit trees: If you want to graft your fruit trees, you should definitely use January. During this month, winter hand grafting can still be carried out on potted and bare-root trees. It is also possible to harvest scions from pome fruit until mid-January, but only on frost-free days.
Propagate gooseberries and currants: Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa) can be easily propagated in the garden in January using cuttings, if you haven't already done this work in late summer. For this purpose, a one-year-old gooseberry cane is cut into pieces 20 to 30 cm long, defoliated and then placed in a pot with sandy soil. By the way, this procedure also worksgood for propagating currants (Ribes nigrum & Ribes rubrum).
The lawn in January
Many gardeners value a tidy, green lawn. But do you have to take care of the lawn in January? No - in fact it is even better to leave the lawn alone in January if possible. At this time of year, the grasses are in a growth pause, so maintenance measures are not appropriate. If you winterized the lawn in the fall, there is no further work to be done in January.
Support garden animals and insects in January
Survival in the garden in January presents many garden animals and insects with particular challenges: on the one hand, the cold, wet weather means that the animals have to find suitable shelter, and on the other hand, food sources are often scarce in winter. For this reason, many garden animals depend on additional help from humans in winter. We have summarized how you can help the animals here in our garden tips for January.
Postpone New Year's Resolutions: Have you decided to tidy up your garden this year and get rid of all the messy corners? A good intention - but if possible you should only pursue this in March or April. In fact, piles of brushwood, piles of leaves or fallen piles of wood are a thorn in the side of many people, but garden animals such as hedgehogs or toads like to use them as shelter. If they are suddenly robbed of their winter quarters while they are sleeping, this often has serious consequences for the friendly animals - so it is best to postpone cleaning up until later.
Feeding birds: Since birds are not among the animals that fall into a hibernation period, they are particularly dependent on a continuous feed intake in winter. Unfortunately, in many gardens there are only a few native shrubs for birds, which also bear berries as potential food in winter. It is all the more important to help the birds with the display of birdseed. Make sure that you use a varied feed with many different feed components - such as the Plantura loose feed with high-quality fats. This can be eaten not only by grain eaters, but also by soft food eaters.
January is a particularly difficult time for garden animals. You can find out how you can help the little animals in our article "Garden animals in winter: how can you help?"
Care for indoor plants properly in January
While the garden is still dormant in January, indoor plants are still a green eye-catcher. In order for this to remain so in the long term, however, it is important to pay special attention to indoor plants in January. The dry, hot air in particular is a problem for many houseplants, which is why the care of houseplants should not be neglected at this time.
Care for Christmas plants: Christmas cactus, poinsettia and azalea gave us a lot of joy in December. So that the plants remain he althy in January, they should be moved from the warm room to a cool room with plenty of light. You should also water all Christmas plants regularly while they are in bloom.
Adjust care: The majority of indoor plants take a break from growing in winter. During this time, the care of the plants must be adjusted accordingly: Indoor plants should never be fertilized in January. Even when watering, you can often extend the intervals, since the plants often need less water. Instead, you should use the spray bottle more often to counteract the dry air from the heating, which causes problems for many indoor plants in January.
Control for pests: Dry heating air and high room temperatures in winter unfortunately favor the spread of pests such as scale insects, spider mites or whiteflies. Therefore, check your indoor plants regularly for the first signs of pest infestation. If your plants are actually infested by the small insect pests, it is advisable to act quickly with an effective pesticide, such as our Plantura pest-free Neem, or an effective home remedy.
Avoid a lack of light: Exotic indoor plants in particular often have to struggle with a lack of light in January. To avoid this, you can fall back on a few tips: In January, plants should ideally be placed directly on a south-facing window, as this is where they can best exploit the natural sunlight. By placing a mirror behind the plants, the sparse sunlight can be used particularly effectively. A special plant lamp can also help with plants that depend on high light intensity.
Read our article on gardening in February to find out what work is coming up next month.