January is the coldest month of the year for most of the US and many gardeners manage through the month’s 31 days by hibernating inside with garden catalogs at their fingertips. However, just because it is cold outside doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do in the garden.
I continue to take my garden walkabouts during the winter. I look for fallen branches, damaged plants from wildlife, weeds and other garden anomalies. I check on the season extenders in the vegetable garden to secure any row covers loosened by the wind. If inclement weather is predicted I protect the evergreen shrubs with thin branches from ice and snow damage by wrapping them with heavy twine. I do so in a spiral motion moving up the plant from the base and tying it off at the top. The two plants I secure first before a storm are the vertical holly, Ilex ‘Sky Pencil’ and the round globe arborvitae, Thuja occidentalis ‘Globosa’. I have a gardening friend who wraps a tender young American boxwood, Buxus sempervirens, she favors.
Winter sowing has been embraced by many gardeners who use clear or opaque jugs to create miniature greenhouses in which seeds for cool season spring crops are sown. Take note, I wait until late winter/early spring to sow the summer crops in jugs. The entire process is pretty straightforward. Gallon sized milk or water jugs are cut open below the handle leaving a section to act as a hinge to ease access when needed. Holes are poked in the bottom before filling the base with 3” or so of potting soil. The seeds are sown per the instructions on each packet and the jugs are tapped back together. The cap is removed to prevent overheating and to allow precipitation in. The jugs are placed outside where the seeds can germinate naturally. Germination is triggered by warmth, day length or when the cold temperatures and moisture break down the seed coat. This type of seed sowing takes little to no effort, just an occasional check to ensure the soil is moist. Don’t forget the most crucial step, labeling each jug to note the seeds sown or you will find yourself peering down into the jug trying to figure out what is growing inside.
Another January task is to remove deadwood from trees and shrubs. Deadwood attracts insects and diseases, it is unsafe and unsightly, however, the good news is, deadwood is easy to spot during the winter. By removing deadwood, the woody plant is protected from decay traveling from the degrading branch into the trunk or a main branch. Cutting off the dead limb enables the tree to expend less energy sealing the clean-cut wound rather than a ragged edged break. As for safety, a large dead limb becomes a hazard if it is over what professionals refer to as a target area. This is an area where people, powerlines or property can be damaged by falling limbs. While checking woody plants for deadwood I also look for crossing or rubbing branches. I look at both branches and prune below the wound on the weakest or the most damaged of the two. Removing these branches improves the health of the plant by reducing access areas for insects and disease spores. Pruning also increases air circulation and creates a more aesthetically pleasing tree or shrub.
During the winter it’s best to keep up with the weeding, yes, I did say weeding. The cool season weeds germinate in early fall and grow until they set seed or are killed by warm weather. Unless removed early in their life cycle the roots become well established making it very difficult to pull in the spring. After removing the weeds it’s best to mulch with either leaf debris, pine tags or a wood type mulch of your choice. The mulch will buffer the soil temperature from the wintry weather while protecting the soil moisture from the drying winds of the season. Plus, soil microbes will continue to thrive from the addition of organic mulch because they do not go dormant in the winter, however, they do slow down.
Finally, winter is a great time to address the English ivy and other vines growing up trunks of trees or into bushes. I use a sharp hatchet to cut the larger vines at the base of the tree or shrub. Knowing the vascular system is right under the bark I am careful not to be too aggressive. Sharp loppers or hand clippers can be used to cut the smaller vines, just remember to always wear gloves to protect your hands. Once all viny growth is cut at the base of the plant, I remove what I can safely, leaving the remainder to die back during the summer months.
Who knew there was so much to do in the garden during January and we haven’t even touched on cleaning and repairing the garden hoses and tools!
Happy Gardening!
Peggy
