Sally Scalera

Brevard County Horticulture Extension Agent
3695 Lake Drive -- Cocoa FL 32926 -- 321-633-1702

January gardening plans

January 2, 2010

Even though our temperatures have been warmer than normal for this time of year it is still a lot more enjoyable to do yard work now then in the summer. With these mild temperatures, you can work all day long without working up a huge sweat. Here is a list of just some of the landscaping projects you can do this month.

  • Mark your calendar because starting January 14th, the Brevard County Farmers Market will be held every Thursday from 4-8 p.m. at the Wickham Park Equestrian Center. Come by locally produced fruits, vegetables, honey, bread, pies, and more!
  • Saturday, January 16th we will be holding a Rain Barrel Workshop at Rockledge Gardens starting at 10 a.m. To register, contact Elizabeth Melvin with the Brevard County Natural Resources Department at Elizabeth.Melvin@brevardcounty.us
  • Remember, the cooler temperatures and shorter days help the turf get by with less water. Usually, during this time of year, St. Augustine only needs to be watered deeply (about 3/4 of an inch of water) once a week – if that.
  • Flowers that need the cooler temperatures include alyssum, dianthus, pansy, viola, petunia, phlox, stock, flowering kale, and snapdragons.
  • To protect tender plants from a freeze, simply cover them with some hay, a blanket or a quilt. If using a plastic tarp to cover the plants, don’t let plastic touch the foliage or damage could occur!
  • Bulbs to plant: Agapanthus, amaryllis, Aztec lily (Sprekelia formosissima), calla lily, crinum, kaffir lily, walking iris (Neomarica gracilis), African iris (Morea spp.), daylily, gloriosa lily, hurricane lily (Lycoris spp.), society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea), spider lily (Hymenocallis spp.), Tritonia (Tritonia crocata var. miniata), Tuberose (Polianthus tuberose), Watsonia (Watsonia spp.) and rain lily (Zephyranthes spp.).
  • Herbs for January planting: Chives, chervil, cilantro, fennel, mint, parsley, lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme.
  • Watch out for tiny caterpillars on your vegetable plants and control when needed. Remember, the easiest way to control large caterpillars is to pick them off and destroy them. For smaller caterpillars (the young ones) Thuricide is an environmentally friendly choice. Just don’t spray dill, fennel or parsley since they are host plants for butterflies.
  • For your vegetable plants, continue spraying the foliage with liquid seaweed every week. Spray both sides of the leaves until they drip.
  • If needed, prune apple, grape, peach, pear and fig plants to shape. Remove any dead or diseased wood too. For more detailed information on pruning deciduous fruit trees and grapes go to the website http://trec.ifas.ufl.edu/fruitscapes/.
  • Sow beans, cantaloupe, sweet corn, cucumber, eggplant, peppers, squash, watermelon, pumpkin, kohlrabi, endive/escarole, beets, celery, collards, leeks, lettuce, mustard, English peas, turnips and tomatoes seeds for transplanting in February.
  • Vegetables that can be planted in January include; beets, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, endive/escarole, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, watermelon, carrots, cauliflower, collards, lettuce, mustard, onions – bunching & multipliers, leeks, English peas, potatoes, radishes, celery, kale, kohlrabi and turnips.
  • To save space when seeding carrots and radishes, sow them in the same row because carrots are slower to germinate. The radishes will be harvested before the carrots need the space. Also, cover the seeds with some vermiculite to help mark the row.
  • Here is a list of some of the fresh produce that could be available at produce stands or farmers markets in January; avocado, broccoli, cabbage, canistel, carambola, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumbers, eggplant, endive/escarole, grapefruit, guava, honeydew, kumquat, mamey sapote, oranges, passion fruit, peppers, potatoes, pummelo, radishes, squash, strawberries, sweet corn, tangerines & tangelos, tomatoes and watermelon.

(Any trade names mentioned in this article are provided solely for informational purposes. Mention of product names does not constitute endorsement.)