07/01/2025
Your January Gardening Checklist
January might be cold, frosty, and full of short days, but for keen allotment owners, it’s the exciting start of a new growing year. While the chill may tempt you to stay indoors, there’s plenty to do outdoors (and under cover) to prepare your plot, tools, and plans for a productive year ahead. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you tackle all your gardening tasks this month!
General Garden Maintenance
Tool Care:
Sharpen secateurs, shears, and pruners to ensure clean cuts.
Clean spades, forks, and hoes to remove rust and soil residue.
Oil blades and treat wooden handles with linseed oil to protect them from winter wear and tear.
Greenhouse & Cold Frame Prep:
Clean glass, plastic panels, and frames to maximize light for overwintering plants.
Disinfect pots, trays, and seed modules with warm, soapy water to remove diseases and pests.
Check for cracks or drafts in structures and make necessary repairs.
Shed Organization:
Take inventory of your gardening supplies—check if tools, labels, or plant ties need replacing.
Repair broken canes, netting, or other essentials.
Organize seeds by sowing time and discard any expired ones.
Plan Ahead:
Browse seed catalogues or online stores to plan your planting for the year.
Order seeds, bulbs, and tubers now to ensure availability.
Restock on compost, fertilizers, and growing aids like cloches or fleece for protection.
🥕 Vegetable Garden Jobs
January is the perfect time to prepare your vegetable patch for spring and even start a few crops indoors or under cover.
🌱 Onions & Leeks:
Sow seeds in seed trays or pots and keep them under cover.
Varieties like ‘Globo’ (onions) and ‘Pandora’ (leeks) are great for early sowing.
🥔 Early Potatoes:
Start chitting seed potatoes by placing them in egg cartons on a sunny, frost-free windowsill.
For a head start, plant a few seed potatoes in large pots in a greenhouse or polytunnel.
🌿 Broad Beans:
Sow varieties like ‘Super Aquadulce’ in pots in milder climates, or directly into well-drained soil if conditions allow.
🥬 Winter Salads:
Hardy spinach, lettuce, and salad mixes thrive under cover.
Try varieties like ‘Winter Density’ lettuce or ‘Perpetual Spinach.’
🥕 Carrots:
Sow early varieties such as ‘Nantes’ or ‘Adelaide’ in a cold frame or polytunnel for a spring harvest. Use cloches to maintain soil temperature.
🌾 Asparagus Beds:
Feed and mulch crowns if this wasn’t done in the autumn. Use well-rotted manure or compost.
Flower Garden Jobs
January is a great time to prep for a colourful garden in spring and summer.
🌼 Sweet Peas:
Sow sweet peas in deep root trainers and keep them in a cool, frost-free spot. Pinch out the tips when they’re 10cm tall to encourage bushy growth.
🌸 Hardy Annuals:
Sow cornflowers, larkspur, nigella, and calendula under cover for early summer blooms. These are fantastic for attracting pollinators to your garden.
🌷 Snowdrops:
Plant snowdrop bulbs "in the green" later this month for quick establishment and beautiful blooms next year.
🌟 Delphiniums & Geraniums:
Start seeds now to give these flowers a head start. Chill delphinium seeds in the fridge for three weeks to improve germination rates.
Fruit Garden Jobs
🍏 Pruning:
Prune apple and pear trees on dry days, ensuring no branches are damaged by frost.
Trim gooseberries and currants to remove deadwood and maintain an open structure.
🍓 Rhubarb Forcing:
Cover rhubarb crowns with forcing pots or large buckets. Add a layer of manure or straw around the base for warmth.
🛡️ Protect Early Buds:
Cover gooseberries and plums with netting if buds begin to swell to prevent bird damage.
🌞 Greenhouse & Indoor Growing
Greenhouses and windowsills can be busy places this time of year!
💨 Ventilation:
Open greenhouse vents on mild days to reduce humidity and prevent fungal diseases. Close them in the afternoon to trap warmth.
🌶 Seed Sowing:
Start early crops indoors:
Chillies: Use a heated propagator set to 21°C. Consider grow lights to prevent leggy seedlings.
Aubergines: Sow seeds in small pots and keep them warm.
Basil: Sow seeds on the surface of compost, keeping them warm and well-lit.
🌱 Onions & Salad Greens:
Sow onion seeds in modular trays to plant out in spring.
Start hardy greens like winter lettuce or spinach under lights or on a sunny windowsill.
January might be a quieter month for growth, but it’s full of opportunities to plan, prepare, and get ahead for the year. Whether you’re sowing seeds, organizing tools, or protecting plants from frost, every small task will pay off when the growing season kicks into gear.
For even more gardening tips, advice, and resources, members can visit our blog here https://www.thenas.org.uk/January-Jobs or our website resource here https://www.thenas.org.uk/monthlyjobsjan . Our expert guides and detailed planting schedules will ensure you’re ready to make this year your most successful yet! 🌿
