What’s on my Garden To Do list this month?
January
Making a wish list of all the plants I want to add or expand in my garden/farm
Look through seed catalogs and start placing seed orders. My favorite place to shop seeds are Johnny’s selected seeds, Peaceful Valley, and Baker Creek Heirloom seeds
Start creating a garden/farm plan and write down when to start seeds on the calendar
Order summer flowering bulbs like dahlias and gladiolas
Clean and organize my seed starting area. Wash any dirty seed trays with soapy water and sanitize with either 10% bleach solution or hydrogen peroxide solution. I’m a mess during summer so trays and pots end up all over the farm. January is a good time to collect them all in one cozy place again and get them scrubbed up for fresh plants.
Start growing slower hardy annual plants like poppies, snapdragons, and sweet peas in a greenhouse or indoors with grow lights. We have a sun room on our house that is perfect but you can use any sunny window sill or even an old closet if your family is willing to entertain your love of plants!
Stock up on seed starting supplies like potting soil, plant tags, seed trays, humidity domes and replace any broken hand tools. I know every year my husband breaks at least a few shovel handles so I take this time to inventory and budget for replacement handles or new tools as needed.
Sharpen and oil garden equipment like pruning snips, hedge slippers, blades for mowers and saws. It might seem like a waste of time but keeping your garden blades clean and sharp is super important! Imagine trying to cut a beautiful ribeye steak with a kids plastic knife…that’s how much harder you are making using your garden tools if you don’t keep them sharp.
If you have the space and are just a glutton for punishment you can try sowing lisianthus seeds along with me this month! Lisisanthus are a weird little plant that LOVE long cold winters but bloom in the peak of our boiling summer heat. They look just like roses but are a million times more hardy and last in a vase up to 2 weeks!
I’ll just be over here dreaming of all the seeds we’re going to plant in 2023