Your January Outdoor Gardening Checklist

FERTILIZE

Send in separate soil samples (forms available here) for your lawn, ornamental beds, and vegetable garden.

WATER

Water everything well before a freeze, but avoid overwatering.

TRANSPLANT

Plant bare root and container-grown roses, shrubs, fruit and nut trees, groundcovers and vines. Start warm season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers indoors. Plant spring-flowering bulbs if you have not already.

SOIL

Add compost. Check winter mulch and replenish, if needed. Cut down the cover crop and turn them under or leave on top for mulch.

LAWNS

If lawn has a history of brown patch problems, treat with a labeled fungicide late in the month. Repeat treatment in three to four weeks, if needed.

DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR

Check for mealy bugs and scale on outdoor plants being overwintered in the greenhouse or garage.

MAINTENANCE

Cut back perennials and ornamental grasses that have died back from cold. Cut perennials two to four inches above the ground. For grasses, cut back to six to 10 inches. Clean and sharpen tools. Inspect garden hoses and replace as needed.

IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

Onion transplants should start appearing in the garden centers later in the month. Patty recommends ‘Texas Legend,’ ‘Texas Early White,’ ‘1015Y Texas Super Sweet,’ ‘Yellow Granex’ and ‘Southern Belle Red.’ Plant seeds of turnips, radishes, carrots, arugula, beets, kohlrabi, and peas directly into garden beds. Water as needed to keep soil moist and protect from frost if needed. Plant transplants of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Swiss chard, collards, lettuce, spinach, Asian greens and artichokes. Cut back yellowed asparagus foliage. See the full Vegetable Garden Planting Guide (Español, 繁体中文) and Vegetable Varieties for Central Texas.

Your January Indoor Gardening Checklist

FERTILIZE

Just like plants grown outdoors, houseplants rest in winter. If you aren’t seeing any new growth do not fertilize. Too much fertilizer during an inactive growth period could lead to an excess buildup of salts

WATER

Plants may require more frequent watering during this time due to supplemental or indoor heating. Monitor soil moisture by checking it more frequently and adjust watering schedule as needed.

HUMIDITY

Humidity may be low due to supplemental indoor heating. Increase humidity by adding a humidifier, grouping plants together or placing them on a pebble tray. If using the pebble tray method remember to keep the water below the pebbles in the tray. Some pots may wick water from the dish into the pot leading to overwatering and root rot.

FOLIAGE CARE

Dust leaves with a damp cloth using distilled water to remove debris and rotate plants to reduce leggy growth.

DISEASES/PESTS TO LOOK FOR

Inspect soil and leaves for pests. Fungus gnats may be present due to increased watering frequency. Remember to let the top few inches of soil dry out before watering to reduce the possibility of fungus gnats.

MAINTENANCE

Check the temperature if your plants are near a window, some plants can become damaged by temperatures below 40 degrees F. Remember to remove any dead, damaged or diseased leaves. This is an inactive growth period for many indoor plants.

Removing spent leaves allows your plant to save valuable energy for new spring growth. See all our houseplants tips here.