Garden Activities for January

January may be cold and dreary, but it is a good time to plan ahead for the coming year and there are even chores that can be accomplished on the occasional mild day.  

• Browse seed catalogs for planning and inspiration.
• Order a soil test to determine your garden’s nutrient needs. Contact your local Extension office for details.
• Begin a Garden Journal – Whether you are just beginning or are already into gardening, it is never too late to begin documenting your garden – your plans, what you plant and when, what is blooming, etc. A plain old-fashioned book journal is fine although with today’s technology, there are other options. You can create a blog, a video diary or even a YouTube channel. The options are numerous. Such recordings are valuable when determining how long a plant has been in the garden, how it has performed and best of all, the transformation of what you have accomplished will be very inspiring.
• Create a Pruning Calendar – For many, pruning can be one of the most challenging tasks in the garden. When to prune and how to prune can be the key to a plant’s health and success, For flowering plants, proper pruning will determine whether or not you get blooms. For me, creating a pruning calendar, made these choices much easier. I created a Word document on my computer for every month of the year and made a list of what plants are pruned during that specific month. 
• Planting – Planting during the dormant months is actually a good thing and plants will have more time to develop roots and get established. It is especially good for bare-root fruit trees, container trees and shrubs and perennials. Bare-root roses can be planted now as well although you can wait until later in February to do this. If you still have bulbs that were not planted in the fall, go ahead and put them in the ground now.  
• Spray shrubs and trees (especially fruit trees) with dormant oil to help eliminate hibernating insects that are emerge in the spring and begin to create problems. Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on roses for general disease control. Ask our staff for recommendations.
• Watering isn’t usually necessary this time of year; however, check plants that are located underneath the eaves of your house. These areas may need additional watering. Also, water newly planted trees and shrubs deeply.
• Mulch – This is a good time to apply a fresh coat of mulch over gardening beds if you did not do this earlier in the fall.
• Garden Clean-Up – Remove broken branches and other debris from the garden.
• Clean gardening tools with alcohol. Sharpen blades and wipe tools down with an oil, such as linseed, motor, or vegetable oil.