January in the Garden for 2024

Last year I did a monthly article concerning home gardening based on The Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month book.  It was suggested to have the articles in this year’s Garden Beet. I hope that you find these articles helpful and informative.

The air is brisk and temperatures are just plain cold. Plants are dormant – sleeping for the winter and awaiting the warmer temperatures that spring will bring. Hopefully, we will get lots of precipitation during the coming months for our plants to thrive and survive the summer.

With that said, our gardens still need to be cared for so that they will do well in the spring and summer.

The Jackson County Master Gardener Association has a great resource for gardeners to use. It is the Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month book.  This great reference book for gardeners is mainly about the growing of vegetables, berries, and melons.

In this article, I will briefly refer to what we should be working on during the month of January based on the information in this book and articles on the OSU website.

January is the time to

• Plan what you want to plant in spring – if you haven’t done it already. What seeds do you want to order? Do you want to try some new or different vegetables and/or berries? Last year I tried some new vegetables, and I will be growing them again this year – Italian Sweet Peppers and Midget Cantaloupe.  It’s always fun to try new things.
• Take the time to browse seed catalogues or websites – but don’t take too long or you might not be able to receive the seeds you want to try. Find plants that are good for growing in our area during both cool and warm weather. Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year Round & Month by Month (Revised 2017).  Pages 52-58 (Crops to Grow in Cool Seasons) (Crops to Grow in Warm Seasons) (Berries); pages 58-69 (Planting Tips for Specific Crops); and page 87 (Month of January).
• Plants which you plant as seeds to transplant later are
  • Cabbage
  • Lettuce
  • Parsley
• Plants which you can plant as seed outside
  • Peas (if there are the right soil conditions)
• Time to prune your grapes
  • https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1639 This publication from the OSU Extension is great in showing exactly what to do to prune and take care of the grapes. 

• Time to spray your blueberries for bacterial canker protection
  • https://jacksoncountymga.org/in-the-garden-video/ The Clackamas videos are great for dealing with berries – including blueberries.
  • https://extension.oregonstate.edu/pub/ec-1304 This is a very comprehensive article on growing blueberries in your backyard. The information concerning the spraying of blueberries is towards the end of the article.

 

The Garden Guide for the Rogue Valley – Year-Round & Month by Month book contains a wealth of gardening information. You can purchase it at our local Grange Co-op or at the OSU Extension office for $21.00.

 

Happy Gardening and Stay Warm

Garden For Life