Gardening Tips for the Month of January

It may seem counterintuitive to talk about monthly gardening tips for January. But stick with me! There are actually some ways that you can and should care for your garden even in the dead of winter. What you do in your yard {or don’t do} during the winter, does affect the success of your garden come spring and summer. So here are some of the best gardening tips for the month of January.

January Gardening Tips

• Just because there’s snow out doesn’t mean you should stop feeding the birds. Keep feeding those hearty little souls who stick around, partly because they’re so fun to watch!
• Along with your New Year’s resolutions, set a goal to track your garden. Keep records of what you grow and where, which fertilizers work best on your lawn, and where problems occur so you can watch for them next year.
• If you have a wood-burning fireplace or stove, save the ashes to use in the garden. Lilacs, lilies and roses love them!
• Take a walk around the yard and inspect the bark of your fruit trees for damage caused by rodents and other wildlife. If necessary, put out bait or traps to dissuade them.
• Pore through your winter seed and gardening catalogs and plan for your spring gardening.
• Set your Christmas tree out in the yard with some strings of nuts, seeds, and berries to attract the birds. This is a great way to get a little more use out of it until it’s picked up.
• To enjoy a burst of dazzling color indoors, force some spring bulbs while you wait for the garden bulbs to bloom.
• Brush heavy snow off your more delicate bushes and shrubs, or cover them entirely if they are showing signs of winter damage.

Indoor January gardening tips

• It’s a great time to pay more attention to your indoor houseplants! Clean up dirty, crusted or neglected pots.
• Dust your houseplants’ leaves so they can more effectively gather the sunlight they need, especially since there’s less of it to be had in January.
• Some houseplants appreciate extra humidity to combat the drying effect of indoor heating. Set them on a tray filled with pebbles, and add water to cover the bottom of the tray. The pots should be sitting on top of the pebbles, but not in the water.
• Start pansy seeds indoors, and enjoy the seedlings until it’s time to plant them outdoors.

These monthly gardening tips for the month of January should keep you busy. Before you know it, it’ll be February!