January Garden To-Do List: Jump-Start Your Spring

January isn’t downtime—it’s prep time. Early action makes April effortless.

Order & Plan

• Order seeds/catalogs now—beat the spring rush.
• Redesign beds on paper: new rose spots, fences, paths.
• Review last year’s journal; start this year’s with key dates/tasks.

Inspect & Maintain

• Check stored bulbs/veg—toss rot, replace gaps.
• Recycle Christmas tree: mulch or bird feeder.
• Feed birds; provide unfrozen water—earn spring loyalty.
• Sharpen all tools—digging with dull blades is misery.
• Take a class—even pros learn new tricks.

Early Sowing (Zone-Dependent)

• Cool-season: cauliflower, leeks, geraniums.
• Slow annuals: ageratum, nicotiana, petunias, portulaca, snapdragons, verbena.
• Direct-sow cold-stratification seeds.

Pest Patrol

• Outdoor: animal damage.
• Indoor: aphids, spider mites, fungus gnats.

Do the thinking now. Spring is for planting.