January Potager & Common Mistakes

Seeds organised in the order they are going to be sown. Veggies on one side, flowers on the other.

The list of things to do in the garden in January is pretty slim no matter what zone one is in, but even slimmer in my Zone 3.

This month really is mostly all about the planning and the dreaming, and that is what I have been doing. I ordered my seeds shortly after Christmas. Others plan for new year's parties, I browse for seeds. The last order came in just yesterday, so I am now all set to go.

The seeds are organised in the order they will be started. This is a trick I learned at a greenhouse I worked at many years ago. Of course, their seeds for each department were in huge flat totes rather than a wee wooden box like mine. I started hundreds of perennials from seed back then.

I was already crazy about heirloom tomatoes back then but that was not my department at this particular greenhouse, so I kept that crazy at home ; )

This year is a bit of a learning curve for me as I have much smaller yard and gardens, but my goal is to get as many veggies growing on the property as possible while still leaving room for the dogs to play and roll about.

Here are some odds & sods tips of hings to do or think about...

How to go about deciding what to order, what to grow, and when to do it?

1. Make a list of everything you want to grow this year. Not sure how? See HERE!

2. Go through your seed stash to see what you have, what to toss as is too old, what to buy.

3. Make a garden plan. Mine always changes somewhat when I get in the garden, but having an idea of how much room you have to grow in will be a big help when ordering.

4. Decide what to grow from seed and what from starter plants.

5. Order veggie/flower seeds.

6. Buy supplies you need to start seeds indoors.

Make your garden plan using drawings or words, whichever works best for you.

Common Mistakes We All Make

1. Starting too early - this is a biggie and happens to both experience and beginner gardeners as we are all itching to get started. There is no hurry! Anything you want to start from seed can be done later than you think. Is better to have a small, healthy starter plant that takes off quickly than a large one that struggles to adapt. You have time! I will keep saying this to remind you!

2. Not realising that cucumbers and squash seeds germinate and grow very quickly. This happens so often! As cucumbers and tomatoes are both warm weather crops, many think that they should be started at the same time. However, unlike tomatoes and peppers, they germinate and grow super fast so should be started just 3 to 4 weeks before you want to put them out. They will be of a perfect size to transplant well.

3. Keeping struggling plants too long. If your transplants are not growing, pull them out and stick in some new seeds. One year (2021), I planted a couple of cucumber starts in May and they were still the same size in July, no matter what I did to them. They were not too large at planting time so should have been fine but they just weren't. I direct sowed a few more seeds in that same bed in July and was harvesting in August while the others did nothing and took up valuable garden space.

This same thing applies to starter plants indoors, as well. If they are buggy, struggling, not thriving, or maybe you left them outside too long when they were being hardened off and they fried or froze, toss them and start new seeds. You have time, is okay.

Plants that can be started this month, if you really are itching to get growing...

onions (seeds)

leeks

celery

peppers - if you have room for when you repot them. Otherwise, wait till February.

herbs like oregano, thyme, chives from seed

lavender and rosemary from cuttings

petunia

pansies

geraniums

Happy Planning, Dreaming, & Ordering ~ Tanja