• Sow seeds of garden peas, snow peas, and sugar pod peas directly into the garden from mid January through late February.
• Set out asparagus crowns in January or February, but wait a year to harvest spears from this perennial crop.
• Start seed for spring crops of broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale, and Swiss chard indoors to have transplants ready for early March. These crops grow best in direct light and cool temperatures.
• If you have not soil tested in the past three years, send off samples now to determine which nutrients your garden needs.

• Soil test before planting fruits. Most fruits grow best when soil pH is near 6.0, except blueberries. They prefer acidic soil (pH below 5.0).
• Prune blueberry bushes in January or February. Remove dead, diseased, weak or crossing stems. On bushes over five years old, cut out 1 or 2 of the oldest, thickest canes each year.
• Apply horticultural oil spray to fruit trees to control mites, scale, and other overwintering insects in January or February.

Back to January Garden by the Month

Garden by the Month Home