January gardening things to do now

Now is the time to start planning your spring and summer gardens, ordering seeds and starting cuttings. 

Planting seeds indoors now for transplanting:

Use a good seedling soil mix with no clods. Cover the seeds with soil at a depth of 3 times the thickness of the seed. If the seeds are tiny, like carrot seeds, mix seed with sand before planting to avoid over seeding an area. Keep the soil moist until the seed leaves appear. Use plastic or glass over the pots or flats to help keep soil evenly moist and warm. As soon as leaves appear remove covering and allow soil to dry slightly between waterings, move seedlings to a cooler area and  remove heat pads. Stir the surface of the soil with a fork or stick to aerate the soil and help reduce diseases that can occur in damp soil. Use small fans to blow air across the plants to circulate the air and keep the damping off diseases from starting.

Vegetable seeds to plant indoors now for transplanting later:

Artichoke, Endive, Leeks, Lettuce, Onions

Flower seeds:

Bee Balm, Carnations, Dahlia seeds, Geraniums, Petunias, Snapdragons, Wallflower, Yarrow

Take Hardwood cuttings of shrubs and trees for propagation:

Most deciduous trees and shrubs may be propagated by hardwood cuttings during the dormant season.
Dogwood, Crepe Myrtle, Fig, Grape, Honeysuckle, Rose Mallow, Spiraea, Star Jasmine and Willow are some plants to try propagating with hardwood cuttings this time of year.

Bulbs:

If you bought bulbs in the fall and did not get around to planting at that time, plant now if the soil is not frozen.

Happy Gardening, it will be Summer soon(ish)!