What Can I Grow in January?
21.08.2023 - 11:49
/ theunconventionalgardener.com
/ Can I (I)
/ Emma Doughty
Fresh from the excesses of Christmas, and with the urge to turn over a new leaf, now might be a good time to tackle getting the garden ready for the season ahead! If you need to make structural changes, such as building or moving beds, or adding/improving paths, then bright days are useful. But, of course, January tends to be cold and wet, and the short days mean gardening is usually confined to the weekends.
It’s not nice to sow seeds outside at this time of year. If the soil is not waterlogged then you could sow broad beans, or plant garlic – but in reality they’re probably best left to next month.
January is a time for armchair gardening, pouring over seed catalogues to choose your varieties for this year, reading gardening books for inspiration, and coming up with a garden plan. There are one or two crops you can sow indoors, or under cover if you have a greenhouse or polytunnel.
If you’re buying seeds or garden supplies then it’s worth noting that T&M is offering a £20 discount on orders over £100 this year. You can access that offer by clicking this link. It should automagically apply the right coupon code to your shopping basket. That’s an affiliate link, and if you click through and make a purchase I’ll earn a few pennies to keep me in seed potatoes.
Vegetables to sow in January
What to harvest in January
We’re in the depths of winter, so harvests are mainly hardy brassicas, parsnips and leeks. You may also have celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and winter radishes. Your windowsills could be supplying regular small batches of salad/stir-fry greens, and/or sprouted seeds for sandwich fillings.
Use the force
Forcing, in horticultural terms, is simply using an artificial environment to bring on a crop out of season. So, at