The longest day of the year has been and gone. Christmas is all over for another year. So you turn your attention back to the garden which has been sitting there quietly over the back end of the year. Now is a good time to think about what you want to grow this year and in particular what to plant in January.
Obviously whatever you plant in January needs to be either hardy or you need to think about planting using your greenhouse or cold frame. There may likely be several weeks of cold ground frosts which will affect many plants, so you need to do your research and find out exactly what to plant in January and where you should plant it.
What To Plant in January
You may be surprised but there are lots of things you can plant in January. It may not be the ideal weather for spending hours and hours outside, but if you get a head start on some of the early planters, you’ll be thankful that you did come later in the year.
Blueberries
Blueberries are a great start if you are looking for something to plant in January. Take the opportunity to set yourself up with a couple of blueberry bushes – as two plants will produce a lot more fruit than just one on its own. You can plant these directly in the ground (as long as it’s not frozen) or in pots between November and March and they should start to produce you fruit in the summer – usually between June and September.
This year I’ll be planting the Grover and Northland varieties. Grover blueberries will flower in the spring and then you can harvest the fruit from early August. The Northland variety should produce fruit a bit earlier, in July time.
If you are thinking of growing blueberries, it’s worth noting that blueberries need acidic soil, so it’s worth testing your soil before you start and if it’s not suitable like mine isn’t, you can grow in pots.
Most blueberries grow best in either full or partial sun, but again it’s worth checking the details on the variety you are looking at growing.
Sweet Peas
If you are looking to start your sweet peas off in January, you’ll need to either sow them in a greenhouse or inside. It’s too cold for them to be planted directly outside until around April/May time.
Most varieties of Sweet Peas are good climbers, so you’ll want to think about where they will go, once you can put them outside. You may want to invest in a trellis or obelisk to train their growth.
Sweet peas are beautiful plants and some varieties have gorgeous scents to them, so they will make a fantastic addition to your garden. It’s also great that you can start them off in January, as you’ll be able to enjoy many months of beautiful, scented flowers during the summer.
This year, I’m planting a fusion of varieties which are renowned for their scent. These include Albutt Blue, April in Paris, Cathy, Fire & Ice, Heathcliff, Juliet and Memories. These varieties can grow up to around 6 foot (1.8 metres), so I’ve bought a trellis to train and support their growth.
Winter Gem Lettuce
Even though it’s cold and wintery, we still eat tons of lettuce during the early part of the year, so when I found out there was a lettuce variety which could be grown over the winter, it sounded ideal. You’ll still need to grow this in your greenhouse or cold frame, but winter gem lettuce is a great one when you are considering what to plant in January. If you sow a new batch every two to three weeks, you should have a ready supply of winter gem lettuces in no time.
Cauliflower
Generally speaking, you would start your cauliflower growing between March and May, but if you want to get a head start, there’s no reason why you couldn’t sow cauliflowers in January if you are using a greenhouse or cold frame. I’m sowing a variety called ‘All The Year Round’ which is a dwarf variety. It has a long sowing and harvesting window and is one of the easiest cauliflowers to grow.
Chillies
If you are planning on growing hot chillies, then sowing them earlier is better. January is an ideal time as it will give them a really long growing window. You’ll need to grow them in pots in a greenhouse, cold frame or even on your kitchen windowsill as it will be too cold for them to be planted outside until much later on in the year. There are so many varieties of chillies you can grow but some of my favourites are Habanero, Padron and Jalapeno chillies. These are all ideal if you are considering what to plant in January.
I hope your growing season gets off to a good start. There are plenty of garden tasks to be getting on with in January to ensure that you have a colourful and fruitful year. Good luck! I’d love to hear what else you are going to be planting in January, so add your comments below.
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