Gardening Chores for January ....

Gardening !
Ahhhh ... reminds me of Summertime : ) ... Which is not my favorite season, but the thought warms me up on any given winter's day!


Now, one would think that "us" gardeners would have nothing to do in January... at least in my neck of the woods... Boise, Idaho and they would be right ... and wrong!


Granted, the garden plot is frozen or too cold to GROW anything, but that isn't all there is to a garden, after all! Successful gardeners know it is all about the microorganisms in  the soil, the PH , the available calcium and much more that MAKES a garden grow.
Thus, we are in the preparing phase of the year. Growing the numbers of microorganisms, feeding the worms that live in that rich ecosystem, composting to fertilize next years crops and of course thinking ahead to what we want to grow : ) Which brings me to the best part of winter.... Looking through the seed catalogs!
There is nothing better on a slow winters night than curling up in front of a warm fire, with a cup of  ( fill in your fav beverage here..) dreaming of next years crop of ( fill in the blank!) 
Ahhh... the hope, the joy of success all swirl in your head..  the colors of flowers, the new gee-gaws that will make life so much easier in the garden, greener ways of beating those pests that plagued you last year and the bigger and tastier new varieties!  That is a gardeners perfect evening right there : )


We all know that there will be hardships along the way, but gardeners are a hearty breed. A combination of technology, science and old fashioned pioneer spirit!


OK, I am back from my fantasy !    
January.... Topics  to ponder:

Decide if you are going organic or as close as you can.? What you will or not spray for bugs or disease?

Will this be the year you will spray soapy water instead of that insecticide?! Now is the time to look up alternatives, made at home or purchased solutions to serve your garden needs.

Compost all kitchen waste: onions, potatoes, lettuce, frozen veggies gone bad, bad bread, milk, juice that went bad, condiments gone south ( I know oils.. never mind that - how often , really, will you be adding this) , old vitamins, paper napkins, paper plates ( non-shiny finished / unprinted varieties ) , junk mail minus the plastic inserts or coated paper, newspaper for sure, egg shells and all the Starbucks coffee grounds you can find!
Composting in ground during the frozen winter months is the easiest way. Devote one of your resting garden plots / gardening beds to being your winter compost spot. A spot that will get rain / snowfall, and sun during the day. A spot you can dig down at least 12 inches to get the food deep.. no more shallow than 6 inches or you will attract undesirable critters with the faint smell.... You can bury it every day, or collect in an unused waste basket / bin and take it out on a convenient schedule. It will smell this way, but... whatever will actually HELP you collect composting GOLD! Besides, you can always use something with a lid to minimize smells...

Plan the layout and companion plants : 
Read up online or elsewhere on which plants benefit by being planted next to one another! There is some truth to it and why not try it! Any benefit is a good benefit in my world! You can better amend the soil to maximize root crops vs greens crops vs acid loving vs ... well  you get the point. Do not forget spreading characteristics. Plants around here get more leggy than I ever give them credit for being and I always have one growing over the other! Which is sometimes good, most of the time..not so much!
Some crops like to be in close quarters with their neighbor. Corn for example really does well. Pumpkins however do not! Tomatoes become un-harvestable if planted too close together. Elbow room as its been called... plan for it! Seed packets and catalogs give you reliable measurements of how close or far apart to plant your new yummies!
I will make a brief reference to a "method" of gardening called the intensive method whereby the conventional spacing model is thrown out the window. I do subscribe to this method, with exceptions. I know my soils weaknesses and know what I am an not willing to spray or add during the growing season. It is like anything else, a space with X resources can only support Y plants and support them well. If you beef up your soil conditions or fertilize them every week, this might be the method to increase your yield! But read up on it as it is not a hap hazard method and does take some maintenance to keep the plants and nutrition of the end result of high quality.  Do not read into this statement "Do not try this" .. Read " Be Aware".

REFER TO LAST YEARS RECORDS OR RECOLLECTIONS:
I know.. all caps, but this is important!
Some plants do not like to be planted in the same spot year after year. Sort all that stuff out now so that you do not risk contamination of illness to your new seedlings by planting them in the wrong spot! 
Tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, alfalfa and other plants you may include in your garden are susceptible to wilts, fungi , and and other nastiness that are built up in soils planted with the same crop year after year.
Tomato end rot, leaf blight , mildew, scabs, potato and tomato wilts and blights can be eliminated or reduced by NOT planting where other plants of the same type of carrier of something have been the year before!
There are many sources online or with Universities close to you that can help you with your planning to avoid this preventable set back. Seeds and plants are expensive!

Seed savers or swappers! 
Gardening is a rallying art! Many people are growing small to self sufficient gardens these days and I LOVE  IT! Self reliance or at least possessing the knowledge of how to feed yourself is an asset!
Check Craigslist, Freecycle, local papers and online groups hosted by Yahoo and Google that connect those already established with newbies or small plot growers who are looking for that perfect tomato or old fashioned melon... there are hundreds of sources for seeds! Organic , heirloom, non-GMO are no longer hard to come by options and usually are not THAT much more expensive.

Seed companies: the good vs unnecessary ....
Not an easy answer! Tips on how to narrow the pack.
(1) The seeds you want have been grown in your zone or colder and as close as possible. If they seeded there, they will grow in your garden.
(2) Be familiar with which will send them at the right time to be transplanted vs send them NOW! Which may be great, but not the best for the plants future.
(3) Know if transplanting a plant vs direct sown will work out better in the long run. Some companies will send a plant that will not grow well as a transplant vs a seed you start in your ground after the ground warms to the seeds preferred germination temperate.
(4) Know the risks ahead of time. Is  this an easy plant to grow, what is the germination rate f or the seeds, will the plant reseed itself.. do I want that?, Is it grown in full sun, part shaded, a lot of water or not so much... The list does go on. Just a heads up... not discouraging 
news : )
(5) Return policy on plants that arrive damaged or die soon after transplant. Seeds that do not germinate or turn out to be different than the type you ordered?

These are the top questions to get answers to for success - but not the only answers to get.

So, as you see from the information above, January might be a non-labor intensive month for gardening, but is by no means a non-gardening month : )
Click > planning a garden for planning help books on Amazon.com !
Click >  Organic foods that you can grow to enjoy this summer , with recipes !!!