What to Plant in January

One of the best things about January is that it allows us time to slow down and prepare for the spring. It can feel like everything has ground to a halt and the month has gained more days from somewhere but really, January gets a bad rep… It’s a period of rest and recuperation as well as promise and preparation. Filling up the bird feeders and observing what arrives whilst spending ten minutes looking at what’s already growing in the borders will show you just how much life is bubbling under the surface.

It can be easy to think #garden jobs and activities only really begin in the #spring when the sun is shining and the evenings grow long but I hate to break it to you, if you want a thriving garden and to provide for yourself more all year round, don on the woolly hats and rain coats and head outside, even in January!

At a time of the year when lots of people’s mental health dips, it’s important to get outside in nature and doing something creative with your hands can really help boost your mood and improve wellbeing. Planting seeds, whether it’s veg or flowers, can help remind us of the promise of spring, and that we can grow throughout the year with them… a lovely practice with mental health benefits and the added bonus of providing food or beautiful flowers for the garden, big or small.

When #planting in January, you’re going to want to start your seeds in either a green house or cold frame, it’s still a little early to be planting #seeds directly in the ground… ignoring the temperature, if you live somewhere like us on Ynys Môn, your seeds are likely to get washed away with the rain if planted out straight away. So, grab your pots or seeds tray, prep them, add the soil and get ready to plant your seeds. We use a layer of sheep’s #wool (sold here) in the bottom of our wooden seed trays to help keep the soil warmer and aid drainage, then we add a layer of our super soil on top. If you want to learn how we make our own super soil potting mix, click here!

Here’s what we’re planting this January:

Vegetables

• Peppers - these take a while to grow so starting them now is perfect.

• Tomatoes - If you want tomatoes in summer, starting them in the greenhouse or somewhere warm now is ideal.

• Onions

• Leeks

• Lettuce

• Broad Beans

Flowers

• Sweet Pea

• Cosmos - super pretty!

• Gazania

• Antirrhinum

• Delphinium

• Agastache

• Lobelia

All of these flowers are great to start in January if you’re wanting to create your own mini cut flowers patch. Planting regularly means you'll be able to have cut #flowers all through the spring and summer, so you could cut them regularly, bring a #bouquet indoors, and enjoy the fruits of your January labours for weeks on end!

We hope that’s given you some inspiration and encouragement to venture out and enjoy January’s garden, and everything it’s preparing for us.

#lifestyle #rurallifestyle #whattoplantinjanuary #sustainable #farm #florist #growyourown