January - this is what you can sow and cultivate
When the garden is blanketed in snow, it’s easy to think that growing has to wait — but luckily, there’s plenty you can do already if your green fingers are itching.
SOWING CALENDAR – JANUARY
In our best growing tips for January, you'll find more about pre-cultivating, growing vegetables indoors, and winter sowing both outdoors and in greenhouses.
Pre-cultivate indoors
January is the perfect month to pre-cultivate or sow plants that have a long development period and need an early start. Just remember that your plants will need extra light in the form of grow lights, as the daylight from a window is far too limited at this time of year.
Plants that can be sown in January
January is also a great time to stratify seeds—that is, to give seeds that require a cold period the conditions they need in order to germinate. Simply place the freshly sown seeds outside for a couple of weeks before bringing them back inside. If they don’t sprout on the first try, don’t worry—there’s still plenty of time to give it another go.
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Grow vegetables indoors
When it comes to indoor gardening, your imagination is the only real limit—as long as you compensate for the lack of natural light with grow lights and have enough space. Why not try growing hydroponically? Or perhaps create a vertical garden and grow upwards with a plant wall?
Plants that can be grown into January
Don't forget grow lights!
- Malabar spinach
- Bush tomatoes
- Self-pollinating cucumber
- Lettuce
- Garden cress
- Radishes
- Mung beans
- Winter purslane
- Herbs
Winter sowing outdoors and in greenhouses
As early as January, you can sow certain plants outdoors to get a real head start on your spring harvest. Try, for example, dill, carrots, or spinach.
Simply brush away the snow, sow the seeds on the frozen soil surface, and cover with a thin layer of soil. Then put the snow back on top. As it melts in spring, it will naturally moisten the seeds and help trigger germination.
Just make sure that winter has really settled in—if there's a sudden warm spell, the seeds might start sprouting too early. For this method to work, the seeds need to remain dormant in the winter cold until the spring sun wakes them up. You can also winter sow summer flowers and vegetables in plastic boxes and containers.
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Plan for the summer
Summer will return—even if it feels far away right now—so take a moment to look over the seeds you already have and consider which ones you’d like to sow this year. It’s never too early to start planning for the upcoming growing season.
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