Gardening In January

Photo courtesy of the author.

Baby it's cold outside!  If you are like me, though, you're already thinking of spring time and getting back outside in the warm weather.  Here are some ways to help get you through the winter weather and help keep in tune with the earth.  (Think you can't grow things without a "real" garden?  Check out "66 Things You Can Grow At Home in Containers Without a Garden".)


Grab a few seed catalogs and start browsing!  Now is the time to plot out what you'll be growing and order your seeds.  My favorite go-to place for seeds is Johnny's Selected Seeds.  Not only do they carry tons of fruits, veggies, flowers and culinary herbs, but they also carry herbs used for medicines and many witchy herbs, such as white sage and mugwort (availability can vary).  Another favorite is Seed Savers.  This group is dedicating to providing and preserving heirloom seeds.  And there's always Burpee, that many swear by.

If you had a live (not so much now) Christmas/Yule/Festivas/Whatevermas tree and haven't gotten rid of it yet, mulch it or compost it.  Many towns have programs in which they collect the trees for mulch; check your town's local website for information.

If your area starts to warm up, keep an eye on areas where you have bulbs.  If they start poking up early, place some mulch or compost around them to help protect them.

If you didn't get your tools sharpened before you put them away in the fall,  sharpen them now before you actually need them.

If your garden soil isn't wet or frozen, turn it.  This will help to expose and insect/pests and eggs to hungry birds and help keep their numbers down in the spring (and give the birds a little extra help).

Get a head start on creating your own paper pots!

Photo courtesy of the author.

Start gathering recipes and researching techniques for preserving your harvest. I LOVE the Pick Your Own site for both of those!  I have one or two to share.

Check out your canning and freezing supplies.  Make a list of what you need and start buying a little at a time.  Jars are a great investment, as you can reuse them each year.

Start a garden journal.  Use it to make sketches, list plants you'd like to grow and their growing information.  Keep notes on what seeds you buy, the date of purchase and where you bought them from.  (Keep receipts, just in case!)  Organize your food preservation recipes, too.  Later you can add information about what plants grew the best, which seeds failed, and how much they yielded.  Press a few leaves or flowers from your plants in it.

Photo courtesy of the author

Start researching herbal remedies and which ones you'd like to try to make.  Tinctures and teas are easier to create than you'd think and have so many uses - not only medicinally, but often cosmetically as well (hair rinses, acne treatments, etc.). There are tons of books and websites to help you learn more.  I am a huge fan of the Herb Companion magazine and website!

Anyone who gardens knows that your garden is never really completely closed down for the season.  There's always something to do or research or keep an eye on.  Thank goodness, or I'd never make it through the winter months with my sanity intact, lol!


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