Happy 2023! If the infamous 2021 Central Texas Snowmageddon was a “once in a lifetime” freeze event, let’s keep our fingers crossed for a milder winter season this month… so far this winter, it has been pretty unpredictable – unseasonably warm days and then back into the freeze zone at night. This is the type of unstable weather pattern that can trick plants into emerging from dormancy. Be assured that it’s still winter. Just remember to cover (or better yet, bring inside) your cold sensitive plants. The average last frost day for the Austin area is March 11 to March 20. It is a great idea to use this month to plan your garden for the year, sharpen your tools, and catch up on weeding. See below for many more things that should be on your January gardening to-dos and visit the Lakeway Garden Club for more winter tips and tricks. Happy gardening!

January Garden Tips

Flowers to Plant

Alyssum
Centaurea
Calendula
Larkspur
Pansies
Snapdragons
Violas

Seeds to Sow

Beets
Carrots
Fava Beans
Cool season greens
Peas – English, snap, snow
Potatoes – Irish
Radishes
Turnips

Things to Transplant

Artichokes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Leeks
Onions – bulb

Things to Sow or Transplant

Asian Greens
Lettuce
Spinach
Collards
Kale
Kohlrabi
Mustard
Swiss Chard

January Garden To-Dos

Start tomato & pepper seeds indoors

Tomatoes can be planted with care as early as late February, and peppers when it warms a little more. This is the month to get your transplants started from seed.

Lay out seed potatoes

Potatoes get planted in February, around President’s Day, but they need to be cut and set out to dry beforehand.

Get transplanting

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.

Take care of the veggies

Onion transplants should start appearing in the garden centers later in the month. We recommend these options: ‘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.

Prepare gardens for spring

Fill new beds with a good organic garden soil, and amend existing beds with 1-2” of compost. Once your soil is ready, add a high nitrogen fertilizer to the top two inches of the soil at the rate of 1lb per 30sqft. When you plant, toss a little bone meal or other source of phosphorus into the hole so that it touches the roots of your new transplants. You can use seaweed every time your new plants need water — it’s a great natural root stimulator and anti-stressor for plants. If you’ve had a vegetable garden for a few years now, have a soil test done. It’ll help you determine which amendments to add and what to avoid. Your plants will be healthier and it may even save you money in the long run.

Feed your 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. Feed existing asparagus, strawberries, and other cool-weather veggies and annuals with a balanced organic fertilizer. Solid fertilizer can be scratched into the soil surface at the beginning of the month, or liquid fertilizers can be applied once a week while watering.

Treat your lawn

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.

Water deeply, especially before freezes

If we’re not getting adequate rainfall, continue to water your lawn and any other plants that require supplemental water. Water the soil, not the leaves. Dry plants are more likely to suffer freeze damage than well-watered ones, but plants use less water when temperatures are cool. Be careful not to overwater and always check soil moisture levels before watering. Protect new transplants and tender plants with sheets or row cover.

Prevent spring weeds with corn gluten

Buy corn gluten early in the month and have it ready to spread on your lawn and flower beds to help control spring weeds. Corn gluten is a natural, pre-emergent herbicide that’s an earth-friendly alternative to highly toxic “weed-n-feed” products. It works by preventing germination of weed seeds, so you’ll want to apply it as soon as we get our first sunny, spring-like days.

Spray fruit trees with dormant oil

Check for mealy bugs and scale on outdoor plants being overwintered in the greenhouse or garage. Dormant oil is a non-toxic and very effective control for plum curculio, scale and other over-wintering pests and their eggs. Fruit trees, and any plant with a current infestation of scale, should be sprayed two or more times with dormant oil over the winter.

Last chance to prune fruit trees

The weather warms up and buds begin to break in February, so next month it’ll be too late! Proper pruning is important to the health and production of your trees so be sure to educate yourself before you begin. Read a good reference book, or consult an arborist to learn proper pruning techniques for your particular trees. Shear evergreen hedges as needed. Hardy herbs like oregano, rosemary, savory, and thyme will also benefit from a late-winter haircut.

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

Garden Tips courtesy of The Natural Gardener and Texas AgriLife Extension.