What To Sow In January
Happy New Year!!
I hope you all had amazing celebrations and don't have too much of a sore head. What better way to get some fresh air to clear the head but to get out into the garden? I thought, I would share some of my top picks to sow in January as well as recommend some seeds that'I have had success with. However, please bear in mind, this is for an audience in a 9A growing zone. (Click here to find your zone)
What To Sow?
For most of us January is still a little too early to start growing. However, in this video I share with you some of the fruit, veg, herbs & flowers that I like to get started in Jan. Below I have shared some links to some seeds, equipment and one of my seed sowing videos to help you get started.
Top Picks:
Below are my affiliate links for some of the seeds that I will be using.
Little Gem Lettuce:
Little gem lettuce will take about 40 days to mature. However, they are delicate. If you have a cold frame or a mini greenhouse in your container garden they should be ok out there. If not get them started off indoors and use the cut and come again method on them.
https://amzn.to/3sVDCgj
Dinosaur Kale:
I absolutely love dinosaur kale. In fact I still have 2 plants from last year that I am still continuously harvesting from. They are the gift that keep on giving.
https://amzn.to/3eL8Xdu
Red Cabbage:
Much like the dinosaur kale, red cabbage will continuously push out lots of new leaves. In fact, I have even kept one as an ornamental plant because I just love the colour of the leaves.
https://amzn.to/34fSSKN
Achillea: https://amzn.to/3Jy1QDb
Achillea is a beautiful flower. I fell in love with it at my very first time at RHS Tatton Park. I was blown away by the burst of flowers and so was Tracey. (My bumblebee friend who used to visit my garden on a daily basis)
Canary Creeper:
One of my favourite vines is my canary creeper. In the middle of January it has begun flowering (About 2 months early). The beautiful yellow flowers are like a bat signal to pollinators and it’s a great way of getting some more vertical growth in your garden. Last year, mine battled a morning glory plant to take over my trellis.
https://amzn.to/3sRJ5VE
Sweet Thai Basil:
I absolutely love Basil and tend you use a lot of it in my cooking. I usually have some dotted all over the container garden as well as having some in my kitchen garden. Sweet Thai Basil. Thai basil is exceptional in oriental dishes but equally so can be added to salads or used as garnishes. Not only that, the blooms are also not to be sniffed at.
https://amzn.to/32Cb5Sr
Madame Butterfly Snapdragons:
This variety of snap dragon is huge. It can grow up to 1m tall. The blooms are spectacular. They are half hardy, meaning that they can take cold weather and a light frost. However, they may not survive a deep freeze like the one we experienced last year.
https://amzn.to/3ESvWxz
What To Sow (Part 2)
The video below is an update and expands to show what else I am growing this year in addition to the above. I also discuss that if your balcony has a glass railing like mine or your garden is more sheltered than a traditional garden, you can afford to take a few liberties by starting some things slightly earlier than others. However, word of caution. Jan - April is still Winter and it is highly likely that you will experience frost, which could potentially wipe out your new seedlings if they are outside. If you space is exposed, I would recommend waiting until you are sure that you’ve gone clear of your last frost date.
Dianthus:
Carnations are one of those flowers that get completely over looked. However, I think they are awesome as a “Container filler”. In fact, in the video above, I show my carnations from last year are flowering in Jan!
https://amzn.to/3WYNEZT
Aquilegia:
One of my personal favourites last year, I will be starting Aquilegia from bare root and seeds in January. Last year, these columbines featured heavily on The Cirrus Garden and The Cloud Garden. They are alpines and can easily tolerate the treacherous windy conditions on a balcony. My one reservation for these plants, is the fact that they are a magnet to aphids and other pests. This year, I will grow plenty to ensure that I have enough to survive the plague.
https://amzn.to/3WX5tsd
Nasturtiums & Tomatoes(Indoors):
Not everyone has outside space. So this year I am going to test how nasturtiums fare inside. They are one of the most nutritional plants even more so than spinach. Therefore, if I can show that they can be grown indoors with no issues, it could be a game changer for those who only have a kitchen garden. I have decided to give Tumbling Toms a go indoors to cascade down my indoor kitchen garden shelf. These are a determinate variety which means it will reach one length and won’t grow endlessly. I’ll be sure to do regular updates on both to see how the fare.
I go through the art of seed starting in the video above and share a full list of herbs to sow indoor. We also go over some of the equipment that I use on my indoor growing station. I have left some of my affiliate links below to some of the equipment that I am currently using.
If you would like a more in-depth blog or video on this, please let me know.
My bedroom grow lights: https://amzn.to/32Ufgsm
My Seed Starting Grow Lights: https://amzn.to/32S5A1y
Heat Mats: https://amzn.to/3HvKftI
Join My Container Garden FB Group & Share Pics/Advice With Others
My balcony gardening Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1334268283618789/
What To Buy From A Nursery?
Gardening media glosses over the fact that a lot of us don’t have space to seed sow. It can often make you feel “less than” or that you are not a real gardener. I don’t believe that’s true at all. Each month, I am going to visit a nursery of your choice, to find out what they have available and pass on my recommendations about what to pick up for your small space garden. I’ll be covering what to get for sunny, windy, shady and all other conditions. So if you have a favourite nursery, let me know in the comments below and I will make sure to pay them a visit and report back to you!
I hope this has given you some ideas, feel free to join my FB group if you want to share pics of your container/indoor gardens.
Once again… Happy New Year!
Jason x x
So happy that I found your blog and YouTube channel! I'm a fellow plant-lover and mental health wellness advocate in Manchester. Keep up your amazing work. Christine (I blog over at https://www.goodfronds.com/) Happy New Year!