January Garden Chores for All USDA Grow Zones

Planting by USDA Zone is a good starting point to get a handle on what you should be thinking of planting and when. If you pair this overview of gardening tasks by zone with experience, local knowledge and good year on year note taking then you will be well on your way to a successful and confident gardener in no time!

ZONE 4

Watch for and brush off ice and snow from tree and shrub limbs to prevent breakage.
Use tree wrap on trunks of newly planted trees as well as those species with thin bark like linden, ash, mountain ash, and maple.
Use this time to give your indoor houseplants a good cleaning. Dust settles on leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and moisture exchange.
Make plans for the coming season's garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.

ZONE 5

Watch for and brush off ice and snow from tree and shrub limbs to prevent breakage.
Use tree wrap on trunks of newly planted trees as well as those species with thin bark like linden, ash, mountain ash, and maple.
Use this time to give your indoor houseplants a good cleaning. Dust settles on leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and moisture exchange.
Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible. Sometimes smaller is better and you may in return get fewer weeds and insects with more produce.
Start stratifying perennial seeds that need this treatment.
Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Check all house plants closely for insect infestations. Quarantine holiday gift plants until you determine that they are not harboring any pests.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.

ZONE 6

Watch for and brush off ice and snow from tree and shrub limbs to prevent breakage.
Use tree wrap on trunks of newly planted trees as well as those species with thin bark like linden, ash, mountain ash, and maple.
Use this time to give your indoor houseplants a good cleaning. Dust settles on leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and moisture exchange.
Contact seed companies to receive the new years catalog.
Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible. Sometimes smaller is better and you may in return get fewer weeds and insects with more produce.
Start stratifying perennial seeds that need this treatment.
Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Check all house plants closely for insect infestations. Quarantine holiday gift plants until you determine that they are not harboring any pests.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.

ZONE 7

Use this time to give your indoor houseplants a good cleaning. Dust settles on leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and moisture exchange.
Contact seed companies to receive the new years catalog.
Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible. Sometimes smaller is better and you may in return get fewer weeds and insects with more produce.
Collect all of your seed starting equipment together so you’ll be ready to go. You will need lights, heat mats, sterile medium, and your preferred pot type.
Wash and sterilize seed-starting containers
Start stratifying perennial seeds that need this treatment.
Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Check all house plants closely for insect infestations. Quarantine holiday gift plants until you determine that they are not harboring any pests.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.
Start your first seeds inside for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, head lettuce, onions, and parsley. Many perennial flowers should be started inside by the end of the month as well. You can also start inside flowers and herbs that have a long germination period, like rosemary, snapdragons, and begonias.
Clean out your coldframe. Build a new one if you would like to expand. If you aren’t a carpenter, now is a good time to try a straw bale cold frame.
Late this month, mow winter cover crops.

ZONE 8

Use this time to give your indoor houseplants a good cleaning. Dust settles on leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and moisture exchange.
Contact seed companies to receive the new years catalog.
Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible. Sometimes smaller is better and you may in return get fewer weeds and insects with more produce.
Collect all of your seed starting equipment together so you’ll be ready to go. You will need lights, heat mats, sterile medium, and your preferred pot type.
Wash and sterilize seed-starting containers
Start stratifying perennial seeds that need this treatment.
Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Check all house plants closely for insect infestations. Quarantine holiday gift plants until you determine that they are not harboring any pests.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.
Start your first seeds inside for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, head lettuce, onions, and parsley. Many perennial flowers should be started inside by the end of the month as well. You can also start inside flowers and herbs that have a long germination period, like rosemary, snapdragons, and begonias.
Clean out your coldframe. Build a new one if you would like to expand. If you aren’t a carpenter, now is a good time to try a straw bale cold frame.
Late this month, mow winter cover crops.

ZONE 9

Plant seed potatoes with lots of organic matter.
Plants flowers of dianthus, pansy, petunia, viola, and snapdragon.
This is a good month to plant some beautiful camellias.
Continue planting cool-season crops, including, broccoli, cauliflower, Swiss chard, peas, collards, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips, beets, radishes, salsify and spinach.
Contact seed companies to receive the new years catalog.
Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible.
Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.
Plant fruit trees now to give their roots time to develop before the warm, dry spring months. Prune and fertilize existing trees.
Be ready to cover tender plants to minimize damage and be sure covers extend all the way to the ground. Frost or freezes are likely this month and next.

ZONE 10

Plants that can be added to the garden during the coolest months include begonia, browallia, lobelia, dianthus, dusty miller, and nicotiana.
Winter is a great time to plant bulbs that will bloom in the spring. Some examples include Clivia lily, crinum, and agapanthus.
Many herbs will thrive now that temperatures are cooler, including tarragon, thyme, dill, fennel, and any of the mints.
Many vegetables can be planted this time of year, like beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, mustard, and turnips.
This the last month to plant Irish potatoes.
Contact seed companies to receive the new years catalog.
Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible.
Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.
It is a good time to plant woody shrubs. Water frequently to get new plantings off to a good start.
Water plants if temperatures remain higher than normal and rainfall is scarce.
Bring sensitive plants like orchids inside if a frost or freeze is predicted. Thoroughly water and cover sensitive plants in the landscape 12–24 hours before a freeze.
Apply horticultural oil to citrus, shrubs, and deciduous fruit trees while plants are dormant to control scale. Apply copper spray to mangos after bloom.

	*Article Written by: Angie Lavezzo*
	About the Author: Angie Lavezzo is the former general manager of Sow True Seed. Beyond her professional role at Sow True, Angie's passion for gardening extends into personal hands-on experience, fostering plants and reaping bountiful harvests.