January Gardening Guide - What To Plant Now For Every Garden Zone
Everything you can either start from seed or transplant in January.
Get a printable checklist PDF version of this guide to keep you on track, via email HERE.
Check out the video version of my January monthly garden guide here:
It is the middle of winter and most gardeners are taking advantage of the "down time" to start planning their upcoming spring gardens. Make sure you purchase your seeds and supplies before the spring rush when lots of items sell out.
If your last winter frost date lands in January, February, or March - then you need to be sowing seeds for your spring and summer garden crops now. The plan is to transplant as soon as your last frost date has passed. Many types of crops require 2-3 months of growth from seed to be a size big enough for transplanting.
If its cold outside - you will need to sow seeds indoors. Or you can sow seeds outdoors if you are able to keep them warm. Right now, I'm using a mini green house that I got from Amazon (HERE) and I put a few heat mats (HERE) at the bottom. When temperatures drop below 50F, I zip the green house shut and turn on the heat mats.
And yes, I start all of my summer crops now too. My Florida summers are so intense that even traditional summer crops don't survive. My game plan is to harvest everything, even summer crops before June arrives. The rain, pests, and disease pressure is just too much for a lot of these crops. I start planting my summer garden in April and May. The focus during the summer is on crops that grow well in sub tropical and tropical climates.
***The below is applicable to all garden zones 8 - 12***
Onions & Leeks - If you want to grow onions or leeks from seeds, then start seeds in August through September so they are ready to transplant from October through December. December is the last month I recommend to get them into the ground. Right now, it is too late to start them from seed but you can purchase transplants from companies like Dixondale Farms (website). It is critical that you look up an onion day length map, to determine if you should be growing short day or long day onions. In the south, we grow short day onions because we have shorter day light hours during the winter. Therefore, short day onions require less day light hours to trigger the bulbing process.
Check out my how to grow onions YouTube video tutorial here:
Potatoes - You can plant potatoes in November, December, and January. The goal with potatoes is to have them grow during the cooler and drier months of the year. The potatoes will rot underground if they get too much water. I recommend early maturing varieties for the south like Red Norland or Adirondack Blue. The longer they stay in the ground, the higher the risk for nematodes and other pests to find them.
Check out my how to plant and grow potatoes YouTube video guide here:
All types of greens - lettuce, tatsoi, spinach, swiss chard, bok choy, arugula, radicchio, endive, mizuna, and mustard greens. You can either direct sow seeds or transplant. I begin direct sowing in October all the way thru February. For me the easiest thing is to direct sow seeds in any bare spots in my garden. I highly recommend that you rake in some blood meal into the soil or sprinkle in some blood meal into the planting hole if your using transplants. Blood meal is a high organic source of nitrogen and it produces the most lush and dark green leafy greens.
Check out my YouTube video on how to grow lettuce and Asian greens from seed:
Carrots - Its time to direct sow seeds for these crops. Sprinkle seeds and gently press them into the soil surface. It is very important that you keep carrot seeds moist at all times for the first 7 days. Carrot seeds will not germinate well if they are not kept moist. My personal favorite cultivars are Kuroda, Cosmic Purple, and Danvers.
If your in zones +9 - choose heat tolerant cultivars like Kuroda and Cosmic Purple. We are starting to transition from cold temperatures to increasingly warm temperatures. The heat tolerant carrot cultivars will fare much better. Carrots take 4-5 months from seed to harvest if you want to harvest large sized carrots.
Check out my how to grow carrots from seed to harvest YouTube video guide:
Corn - It is time to start corn seeds in 72 cell seed trays OR direct sow seeds once your last average frost date has passed. In my opinion, the soil is still too cold to get good germination if direct sown. Therefore, I start them indoors, in 72 cell seed trays. They must be transplanted at the 3 week mark. Be prepared for the corn ear worm. For whatever reason, the worms that attack corn are a little bit tougher than the regular worms that attack the rest of my crops. You can spray with BT or even better, spinosad which has the added benefit of also killing worms on contact. Spray at the first signs of worm damage on the leaves to prevent the worm from making its way into the ear of corn. If they get into the ear of corn, they are protected and spraying will no longer work. They will eat the ear of corn from the inside out.
Check out my how to grow corn from seed guide for more tips:
All herbs - chamomile, basil, dill, oregano, parsley, cilantro, fennel, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Take advantage of the more temperate weather to either direct sow or transplant all sorts of herbs. Herbs will get damaged or even killed by snow or freezing temperatures. So either plant in containers or pots and bring indoors or have a plan to cover them. Usually, for us southern gardeners, that's just a handful of days in the winter season. Bring them back outside when it's warm again. A lot of herbs are perennial so if you can get them to survive the coldest days of winter, they will continue producing for many months.
Sweet Potatoes - If you plan to grow sweet potatoes from your own slips, now is the time to start growing/rooting slips. It takes 2-3 months for slips to have enough roots to be transplanted. You want to transplant them well after your last frost date has passed. Many instructions say sweet potatoes are ready to harvest in 90 days but I disagree. You can harvest them at 90 days but they will be very small. I like to harvest any where between 150-180 days, when the potatoes are very big.
Radish, Beets, and Turnips - These are very easy to grow from direct sowing seeds. Space radish and beet seeds 4 inches apart, and space turnips 6 inches apart. Many radish cultivars are ready for harvest in just 30 days from seed. They make for great companion plants underneath other taller crops.
Brassicas - It is too late to start growing large heading types of brassicas like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. They need about 3 months to get to transplant size from seed, and then another 2-4 months of growing time (depends on the cultivar), after being transplanted to be ready for harvest. If planted right now, they would be getting ready to harvest during a time of hot weather which will cause them to bolt or go to the flowering stage. However, we can plant non-heading types of brassicas, or brassicas grown to eat their leaves like kale, mustards, Napa cabbage, tatsoi, bok choy, and kohlrabi. Direct sow seeds spacing them at least 1 foot apart.
All of the crops mentioned below need to be started indoors because it is too cold outside for them. I highly recommend the use of grow lights and heat mats to stimulate quick germination and rapid growth.
Luffa, Moringa, and edible gourds (snake bean) - These crops require a minimum of 6 months in a row of warm temperatures to grow and produce. Get an early start by starting them from seed indoors, in large solo cups. Transplant as soon as your last frost date has passed.
Check out my How to Germinate Luffa Seeds tutorial on YouTube HERE.
Check out my How to Germinate Moringa Seeds tutorial on YouTube HERE.
Seminole Pumpkin, Tromboncino Rampicante, all zucchini, pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers, watermelons, cantaloupes, and okra - In my opinion, the soil is still too cold to direct sow seeds. Start them indoors from seed in solo cups so they have enough space to get nice and big. Transplant as soon as your last frost date has passed. I find that I am more successful growing watermelons and melons during spring time. Once June arrives and we start getting rain every day, melons have a tendency to swell up with all of the excess water and either burst or do not develop good flavor. You could wait to direct sow all of these crops as soon as your last frost date has passed. Just make sure they are in raised beds, containers, or at least hills to help promote better drainage.
Check out my How to Grow Squash and Zucchini From Seed YouTube video tutorial:
Peppers & Eggplants - This is a reminder to start sowing seeds indoors for peppers and eggplants so you can get the earliest start on the season possible by planting as soon as your last average spring frost date has passed. Both of these crops take 2.5-3 months from seed to get to a large enough size for transplanting. They are very slow growers. So for all gardeners with last spring frost dates that fall in February and March, you need to start sowing seeds for peppers and eggplants in November and December. Sow seeds in doors only because its too cold for them outside. Keep them warm with heat mats and give them bright light in the form of grow lights or 5000K daylight range shop lights.
I add organic granular fertilizer, crab meal, blood meal, azomite (rock dust) and/or rock phosphate into the planting holes. The goal with peppers is to harvest as much as possible before summer comes. They really struggle in high heat and do not like all of the excessive rain we get in Florida. They catch a lot of diseases and pests are easily attracted to the stressed out plants during the summer. If you install shade cloth and plant them in raised beds or containers, you might be able to help mitigate the excessive heat/rain issues, and get the plants to survive the summer. Once temperatures cool down at the end of September, pepper plants perk up, start putting on new growth, and flowering again.
Check out my how to grow eggplant from seed to harvest YouTube video guide here:
Tomatoes - You still have time to start tomatoes from seeds and transplant. The last time I sow seeds is December 1st to transplant mid-January. The goal with tomatoes is to harvest everything before June. Just be prepared to cover tender seedlings/transplants if we get cold fronts expected to be 40F or below. This only occurs like 3 times out of the entire winter in my garden. I just cover with old bed sheets, plastic containers, etc...They can take more cold weather than you think.
Below is a link to my YouTube video tomato playlist which will give you loads of info like heirloom tomato reviews, how to trellis, prune, and take care of tomato plants.
***The below applies to zones 8 and colder only***
It is too late to start growing any of these in zones +9
All Peas - This includes snow peas and snap peas (pea that you eat the entire pod), or shelling peas (peas shelled out of in-edible pods). Direct sow seeds starting in November, with December being the last month. You will start to harvest 2 months later. My personal favorite snow pea is Oregon Sugar Pod II, sweet shelling pea is Green Arrow, and snap pea is Sugar Daddy. They just perform well despite the fluctuating temperatures in my Florida garden.
Check out my how to grow peas from seed to harvest YouTube video guide.
Strawberries - Zone 8 and below can hurry up and plant some strawberry bare roots. There are certain cultivars that are best for growing in the south so be very careful and do your research to make sure your purchasing the correct strawberry crowns. I highly recommend that you purchase crowns from local/native nurseries that would carry the kind that grows well in your area. Place your orders asap because they always sell out. I sell strawberry bare roots so check out my website. If I don't have stock, below are some of the companies that also sell strawberry bare roots. If you know of any, please comment below.
Jerra's Garden (ships to all states)
Practical Plants (Ships within Florida only)
Cody Cove Farms (Ships within Florida only)
Nick's Edibles (find him on Facebook only)
Check out my tutorial on how to grow strawberries from bare roots:
***The below applies to zones +10 and warmer only***
You have a very warm climate, barely any winter. Therefore, you can direct sow seeds for the following crops right now: bush or pole/vining beans, cucumbers, Seminole pumpkin, tromboncino rampicante squash, winter squash, zucchini, watermelons, corn, southern or cowpeas, and cantaloupes. If we get some cold fronts with temps below 50F, you will need to cover tender seedlings or they can die. I like to cut the bottom of milk jugs and flip them over small seedlings to create a green house. Or flip card board boxes over them and secure with some long landscape hooks.
Check out my How to Grow Green Beans (bush & pole beans) from seed to harvest YouTube video:
Check out my YouTube video guide all about how to sow seeds, including my setup, recommended supplies, and tips on sowing seeds for each type of crop here: