January is all about extending our summer crops to create a lovely continuity. Successional planting is the proper name. I call it “little and often”, and it’s the key to never going hungry because it keeps your garden in steady production.
And though most of us are only just starting to eat tomatoes, now is the time to think about dinner in Autumn. Get some new, long term stuff planted to keep your vegie patch steadily abundant all the way from Summer through Autumn. Not in an excessive, big mission way, but a little and often, regular way.
What to sow and plant in January
DIRECT SOW
- Coriander, rocket, radish and landcress (one of my favs!) along the picking edge on the shady side of taller summer crops
- Carrots and parsnips for places with cool autumns. If autumn is baking hot at yours perhaps wait another month
- A mixed greencrop to prep the soil for brassicas
- Calendula, cornflower, marigold, bishops flower, phacelia, honesty and borage. Sprinkle alyssum seed in the cracks in the paving! Choose vigorous self seeders that in the future, will pop up of their own accord. Self sufficient plants we love and adore.
TRAY SOW
- Celery, silverbeet, chard, perpetual spinach or kale for autumn and winter harvests. Chard and perpetual beet self seed readily so let them develop seedheads over summer and you will never need sow them again.
- Brassicas for autumn: a couple each of cauli, cabbage + broccoli every 3 weeks or so from now in, brings mixed, regular harvests from autumn through spring. Cover with insect mesh or be on cabbage white caterpillar patrol.
- Leeks, early January for winter eating. They take ages from seed (about 10 weeks) so start now.
- Keep the flowers coming – zinnias, sunflowers, stock, hollyhock, aster, anise hyssop, coreopsis, chamomile, to name a few.
- The last lot of cucumber or zucchini for warmer regions or the greenhouse.
DIRECT OR TRAY SOW
- Saladings choose heat lovers like Tree lettuce, Merveille de Quarter Saison, Drunken Woman, Oak Leaf, Summer Queen
- Beetroot Use the picking edges. Such a small efficient crop, they can be squeezed in anywhere.
- Basil is best young. Keep a fresh supply all summer/ autumn long with little and often sowings. Sow direct into warm garden soil or a tray.
- Green beans – dwarf or climbing, for warmer regions or the greenhouse. Get climbers in early this month for cropping from mid March. As long as they don’t dry out they’ll crop till May or it gets cold – which ever comes first.
TRANSPLANT
- Basil, marigolds and tomatoes – the classic trio. My January planted, greenhouse tomatoes usually out shine spring planted ones. They’ll carry on until late autumn/ early winter (tastiest tomatoes of the year!). If you are planting outside (ie not in a greenhouse), choose hardy cocktails or fast cropping bush or determinate varieties like Baxters Early or good old Russian Red.
- Zuchinni, for a most useful Autumn harvest
- Cucumber can go outside if its warm enough for another few months, otherwise plant in the greenhouse
- Corn in warmer regions if you have enough water.
- If January isnt roasting hot, potatoes can go in. Be sure they don’t dry out. Cover with insect mesh to keep psyllids and aphids out, or dot about beneath fruit trees, disguised amongst the herbal ley in luscious piles of organic matter.
- Spring onions and leeks. Both are most useful when coming into the kitchen in a staggered fashion, so space your plantings out, unless you live somewhere cool, in which case this month may well be your one and only moment.
- Brassicas and leafy greens flourish in mild, moist conditions – all the things that the middle of summer is not. Shade is the answer.
- Brussels sprouts take ages to fatten up, so get seedlings in the ground this month.
- Companion flowers into the garden and greenhouse
HARVEST
- Harvest shellout beans
- Harvest onions and shallots when tops start flopping over.
In the Greenhouse
It’s a bit like housekeeping in the January greenhouse. As well as successional plantings, as mentioned in the diary above, keep up with:
- Daily removal of older ratty foliage and laterals to keep good airflow
- Tie new growths in and wind up strings to prevent branches/ laterals breaking under strain of heavy fruits.
- Keep mulch topped up
- Keep on top of pests
- A daily harvest, to keep plants productive and break pest cycles
- Drape shade cloth over the wires – its more about warmth than light and a bit of shade makes an epic difference to plant health when the sun beats down. Leave the doors open at night for good airflow.
Moist soil is healthy soil!
Keeping soil moist during summer, keeps it in good condition for planting winter crops. As your soil builds and improves, it’ll handle hot weather better, but if you are in the beginning stages of building your soil – take heart, it’ll be better year on year.
Meantime, slow evaporation and make moisture last by planting new seedlings with vermicastings or homemade compost, plant close, erect shadecloth over seedlings or plant them beneath older crops and keep mulch topped up.
If water is in short supply, hand water directly onto plants that need it most giving preference to the young and fruiting plants over older, finishing crops.
Keep your garden fertility up
Don’t let your soil fertility go backwards! Bolster it as best you can so as to avoid an epic soil building mission in autumn.
Piling on a mixture of mulch is an easy way to keep soil in good heart. Moisten your soil first before topping it up. Make a mixture of old, ratty foliage, trimmings from rambunctious plants, slash down long grass in wild areas, forage for leaves, seaweed or mow the lawns – use what you got my friends.
Make compost. A new, easy peasy compost pile a month will keep your garden going. Build a pile direct on top of any beds that have dried out.
Boost the whole garden with biological spray. Where soil is poor or disease rife, use weekly, otherwise one a month is tickety boo.
Dollop seaweed, vermicastings, well rotten manure or trench bokashi as prep for heavy feeders or where soil is poor.
Manage pests + weeds for an easy autumn
Do yourself the biggest of favours and take a garden wander everyday to smother weeds or squash pests. Catch things before epidemics occur. If aphids or whitefly are going for it, spray them with Neem weekly until numbers abate. Naturally Neem is really good – it only takes a couple of sprays.
Keep on top of cabbage white caterpillars on young brassica seedlings – either by squashing daily or covering the crop with insect mesh.
Collect + save seed
Save tomato and bean seed
Collect flower and lettuce seeds. Either save them or use them right away in the easiest of fashions by crunching up the dry plants on the spot where you want them next.
Manage pumpkin vines
Pinch out the tips of pumpkin vines from now on in, to stop growth and send energy to developing fruits.
Hi there – this year I want to plant broad beans and peas over winter to get an earlier start in the spring. We are in the Otaki area. When do you recommend planting my seeds ? I am going to use jiffi pots as it is easier for me to manage the water issues if I do it that way. I am itching to get going ….
Hi Victoria, probably a bit early for both these things although if the summer never gets hot you’ll be fine. A huge part of learning what works when is just to do it and see what happens. I start sowing broadys and peas in Autumn. If you get my newsletter every month there is always monthly info about what I’m sowing and planting. But dont let what I’m doing stop you playing with other ideas 🙂 Kath
Hi Kath, wonder if you can help me with my fruit trees as I am at a complete loss. We planted around 30 fruits trees (pip and stone) when we first moved to West Melton 6 years ago but have had very limited success with the stone fruit. The Plumcot is always the first to flower in the spring with a magnificent display of blossom and the promise of hundreds of fruit. But every year every single blossom drops off. I have other plums (Elephant Heart, Santa Rosa) which I thought would pollinate it, and we have irrigation set up to ensure (what I hope is) a decent drink. And I have a 3 year old comfrey planted under her and she still won’t produce. The quince, apricots and nectarines are also very hit and miss. I’ve yet to have a glut. I’d love a glut. 😊
The other issue I have is what looks like rust on the same vege plants every time I plant them, namely celery, chives and garlic, sometimes silver beet.. Is this some sort of soil depletion?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Jo
Hi Jo,
I wonder does the blossom drop off or blow off?
Both Santa Rosa and Elephant heart should pollinate your Plumcot (and each other), as they are Japanese plums. My first thought is your trees have only just come into their prime – depending on how big they were at planting and how fast they’ve grown as to when they hit their straps … some where in that 5 – 7 year phase. So perhaps give it another year.
Second thought is that are you sure the Santa Rosa and Elephant Heart are true to type. Check the fruit and identify it positively – it does happen that trees get mis- labelled in the grafting or packing process.
Apart from pollenizers, productive trees or otherwise stem from many varied things. Main things making the difference to fruit tree success are
variety that matches your climate – very important here. For example, if frost hits your place in spring then early flowering varieties like plumcots and apricots will suffer. Nectarines need free drainage and warmth to do well – think Hawkes Bay – perhaps your climate doesn’t suit them? also each variety has it quirks so some tend to biennial bearing for instance – its worth it to research each variety and learn all these little details. The better a variety suits your soil/climate the better it performs
weather – different seasons bring different results eg hot, dry spring or wet spring aren’t the best for pollination. Also if trees in the path of prevailing wind that’ll impact pollination too
bees – gotta have them
soil health – feeding with full spectrum mineral fert supports flower/fruits as opposed to nitrogen like manures that support foliage
soil moisture – free drainage is really important here as is steady supply of moisture from flowering, any drying out during this time impacts
pruning – what a difference keeping your trees thinned for fresh growth and fruit spur development makes
hopefully one of these things solves your problem, good luck with the glut 🙂
And as for rust that’s environmental – airflow is important, hygiene too – not recycling rusty foliage and as for nutrition – back to mineral ferts as opposed to rich nitrogen ones.
best K
Hi Kath, thanks so much for your words of wisdom. I hadn’t thought of investigating the specific varieties so will do that first. I don’t know if the Santa Rosa or Elephant are true as haven’t had a single plum from them yet! Perhaps they are still too young. If all else fails I’ll threaten them like I did with the pear – told it I’d give it one more year to produce or else, and ouila! it’s laden this year. 🙂
Thanks and happy gardening.
I’ve learnt big time that the bees can’t do anything with damp pollen. So all that beautiful spring blossom usually goes nowhere on my early fruit trees
Hi Keith,
I got beautiful huge garlic from a farm. Is it a good time to plant them? I’m a bit confused…
Cheers, and happy New year!!
Keren
Hiya Keren
Here’s an article I wrote https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/how-to-grow-garlic/
For all your questions have a hunt about in my website – type into the search bar to the top of the page. Theres heaps of stuff in here to help you along.
happy gardening, Kath
Hi Kath.
Just been reading your book, Organic Gardening Calendar. You mention growing cut and come again cabbage. With just the two of us at home most of the time, we don’t eat a full cabbage and while the waste goes back into the compost I still feel a bit guilty. What cabbages do you use for cut ad come again? Also have a small garden so this type of cabbage would be very useful.
Anne
Collard greens I’m talking about there Anne – a great cabbage for 2. As is kale, bok choy and all the asian greens and the little red express red cabbage.
Hi Kath, I am having a terrible tomato season, flowers are dropping off my plants without fruit setting, I live on the west coast and it’s been extremely wet and not massively warm , they are in a covered garden…..is there any way to save them or do you think they are a lost cause this season? Thanks
Such an un-summery summer Lydia! I feel your pain. Flowers will drop in extreme conditions … too wet and too cold will do it for sure. I’d leave the plants in, but find a way to improve their life and protect them – deep mulch will help heaps, a layer of comfrey or seaweed beneath the mulch another bonus, getting the excess water away too if possible, rig up a plastic sheet or stack of haybales or some such on the south side to hold the warmth of the sun when it comes + a weekly seaweed or comfrey feed over the plant and soil. If you find some healthy tomato seedlings, plant them into pots – not the soil – and tuck them somewhere really warm and sheltered… in 3 months fingers crossed you’ll bear fruit. Choose a hardy variety like moneymaker or russian red.
All the best Kath
Hi Kath I think you might be the mentor I’ve been seeking An older person previously a dedicated rose grower but now responsible for what was formerly a large attractive and extremely productive vege fruit and herb garden thanks to my wonderful and much mourned darling Now only one to feed not the whole neighbourhood and wanting still to have time for my roses guidance required I want veges through winter love cooking hate repition Have reduced the beds to 2 plus 3 covered with windloth and glass all raised no longer make compost there is a limit there are also a mix of plum peach nectarine persimmon fid feijoa currants strawbs and rhubarb to be tended Fortunately have found a helper who prunes but his help limited by budget So to eat this winter what should I be planting now do I need seeds or are plants from shops OK then there is the problem of not having 6 cabbage or 6 cauli all ready at the same time Sorry for the long explanation Hope its not too garbled Would value some easy to follow advice so don’t need to spend every daylight hour on the garden advice Yours is the first NZ site I have found that appeals fingers crossed
Hi there Liz. Heres a read that will help https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/grow-yourself-a-daily-winter-harvest/. There are many more on my website – just use the search bar at the top of each page and pop the word that best describes what you are looking for there in. Everything depends on where you live, what your soil is like and what the season rolls out. My best advice is to watch and learn from all you do and plant a little and often – try some from seed and some from seedling and record all you do and how it goes and over a few years you’ll work up exactly what you need. Nga mihi Kath
Hi Kath, 2 Qs
1) Do you think asparagus beds have a life span or just keep going forever? Mine has going been going for at least over 10 years and I feel like it is on its last legs despite giving it a fair amount of TLC.
2) Do you think commercial seaweed concentrates are just as good as making garden tea yourself from collecting seaweed from the beach? I’ve just always been reluctant to buy because I’ve thought it would be as potent/ brimming with life force. Your thoughts?
My golden life rule is to follow your gut Gina. Agrisea seaweed is an excellent product- slow ferment to capture all the goodness but why not your own brew – intention is everything! You choose and whatever you do will be perfect.
Yes asparagus like anyone of us becomes tired., though in good conditions I’d expect another 5 years from your bed, Depending on where you live and how summer plays out if its really rainy like my summers have been for the last few years – asparagus wont love it so much. Also how hard and long you pick it has a big impact too. Perhaps next spring give it a rest and at the same time get a new bed going. That way you’ll get a few spears form the old bed during the intial phase of the new one where you cannot pick it. Thats probs what I’d do.
Enjoy, Kath
I have a different sort of quandary. I have been squashing white butterfly caterpillars on my old kale plants when I noticed one caterpillar was sitting in the middle of what looked like a miniature blob of rice pudding. I looked it up in my butterfly reference book and discovered it was a pile of cocoons of a parasitic insect (apanteles glomeratus) imported for biocontrol of white cabbage butterflies! They lay their eggs in the caterpillars where they grow before emerging to pupate. Now I worry that if I squash any I could either destroy the larvae or give nowhere for the next generation to multiply. I’m also concerned that if I applied anything to the leaves to kill the caterpillars that it could harm any larvae growing inside. Fortunately I wasn’t intending to eat the kale myself any longer.
I love your careful observation. If it were me I’d leave it all well alone. You’ve set the scene in your garden and can sit back and watch nature do her thing. You may choose to intervene with squashing once in a blue moon when the caterpillars are perhaps nailing young seedlings – its a dance you see, give and take, and can only happen when the gardener is awake and watching … which is why observation is the keystone of the organic garden. Thanks for your story Marylin 🙂
What is the name of this interesting sounding book please?
Hi Kath.
As always, thanks for your wonderful newsletter.
I would like to grow Florence Fennel this year, fallen in love with it, but so expensive to buy. Did try last year but by the time I got reasonable bulbs it had got tough.
Researching it is so confusing, with little reference to best planting/harvesting time, especially in New Zealand. Also that it needs to be grown quite separately from other plants as it deters their growth. Having a relatively small garden this is easier said than done. Any advice appreciated.
Yes I agree Anne – Florence fennel is divine! The best bulbs come in cooler temps, depends on where you live – but my best bulbs were from late summer through to early autumn sowings. If you live in a cooler place, then try a spring sow. They may bolt to seed when weather changes hot to cold through that spring period – but always worth trying a variety of timings to get to know. Be sure to get them into good mature compost for nice fat bulbs, and they must have good drainage. Thin the seedlings for fat bulbs and use the thinnings in salads! The bulbs are ready in about 100 days – leave them too long and they go tough. Harvest them slightly smaller is best to ensure nice sweet flesh. Other peoples experiences of companion planting are interesting but really each micro climate differs – I encourage you to try it out in a few different spots with a few different crops as neighbours and you’ll soon see who they do and dont like at your place. I’ve never had a problem. Enjoy!
I can’t keep on top of my weeds through out my vege garden. The compost has sprung them into life? Would mulch help?
Oh yes mulch helps, as does never letting your weeds get bigger than 5cm tall as does never leave bare soil. Everytime you harvest sow or plant something new right away! Keep piling mulch on top of weeds or whip them out while small. Once you get out of the cycle of letting weeds set seed and once you get into the habit of never leaving soil bare, they will slowly ebb away.
hello, what does pinch the pumpkin vines mean?
It means to literally pinch or nip out the growing tips. All you are trying to do is stop the vine growing and instead send its energy to finish developing the fruits. Its a job you need to keep up with as the tips will continue to resprout.
Hi Kath, I’ve been following you for years, both in my Hawkes Bay garden and now in my new Christchurch garden, which is a whole different story! I have your amazing books and the fruit tree/pruning book is a great help. I have a plum, apple and peach tree in a large netted vege garden. they are too tall and taking up too much space. Can I rework them into espaliered trees?
No can do Joy – to prune an established tree right back to ground zero for espalier sends the tree into serious shoot production mode – perhaps you need to begin again. Peaches and plums are tall trees! The easiest way to curtail them is to grow them in evergrow bags – the link is in my goods and gurus page on the website. Apples espalier beautifully but best to set up wires and start again. Be sure to choose a spur bearing apple like captain kidd for example, not a tip bearing one like granny smith.
I’m curious to know more about your method of growing Urenika by covering with old hay? we are trying to do No Till but spuds really test us.
Hey Toni – tell me more. How are the potatoes testing you? Have you read this … https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/how-to-grow-potatoes
Hi Kath, I have read your book from cover to cover & love it! I have switched to fodda fertiliser in the vege garden at your recommendation as well as occasional seaweed/fish liquid feeds . I now understand to encourage flowering & fruiting plants need more potassium rather than nitrogen . How do we do this without using nasty synthetic fertiliser mixes which might harm our soil? Thankyou!
Hey Emily – the main thing is to stop thinking of minerals in an individual manner. Chemical thinking that came out of the war, is what has bought us to this place of adding minerals on their own and of disconnecting from the complex web of life below ground. There is no better way to muck the balance up than adding individual minerals – it takes a new mindset! Stick to full spectrum mineral fert and organic matter and balance will come – a longer lasting more potent balance at that. It takes time if your soil has been the recipient of artificial fert or individual minerals, but it does repair. Nature is incredible at repair!
Kia ora Kath
Thank you for all your direction – excellent as always. I’m a big fan and love your books.
I’m officially ‘spray free’ now in my garden for 2 years. Fluffy aphids, lemon verrucosis and potato scab I’m grappling with but I have had to deal with way less white butterflies this year which is a positive sign. My soil is in good shape and my companion planting is both attractive and functional. All thanks to your wonderful approach and teachings.
My question is about sweet peas which I grow a lot of. My last lot have just about finished flowering and the seed pods are looking plump. I’ll collect all the seeds. And I love to use the dried plants as mulch in the garden. Kath – can I use the dried plants for mulch, if they had mildew on the leaves and stalks at the end of the growing season?
Cheers Clare
Awesome Clare!, you certainly can use the mildewed parts – especially as your garden is obviously humming. It’s only an issue where biology is absent or lacking and not on the breakdown/ bioremediation job. If you dont feel good about reusing the mildew put them in your compost instead of using as mulch. K x
Hi Kath. The link in the article to biological spray is broken. I have your wonderful book – what page should I go to to learn what biological spray is? thanks
Thanks for letting me know Amanda – here’s the link https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/my-2-ingredient-biological-liquid-feed/ As a back up plan for you when I’m not keeping things up to date 😏 try the searchbar at the top of the site and if that doesn’t help then the index in the back of the book. K x
Hi Kath
I have a few tamarillo trees in 50 litre pots started last spring. I didn’t realise it’s best to grow them to 1-1.5 metres tall. Is it too late to cut them to this length? On the trunk there are no leaves at that length, will they grow once pruned to the shorter length?
Hey Rosy, no worries just leave them be for now to support good fruits later on. They are super flexible – choose the height that works best for you. If you do need to prune them hard next spring dont worry they will for sure shoot away – here’s my pruning article about tams https://www.ediblebackyard.co.nz/how-to-prune-tamarillos/ Kx
Thanks Kath sorry for a late reply. Will prune back next sept?
Hi Kath,
I’m feeling super-blessed – it was my birthday yesterday and my hubby bought me a greenhouse. My kids bought me your book! Can I really plant tomato seedlings in my greenhouse now, mid-January? We’re in the Waikato and it’s been over 30 degrees in there during the day, even with the roof and doors open. I’m scared they’ll fry! In your book it looks like your greenhouse has shade cloths for walls, not glass or poly? Maybe it’s not so hot?
What should I be doing in my poly greenhouse in January to get the most out of it? Are there any books about gardening in greenhouses in NZ that you could recommend?
Thanks heaps!
Julia
Much excitement – I totally get it! And in the beginning so many questions! May I suggest a slow and considered read through my book – all is contained within.
To get you started, yes you can plant toms in Jan – read my tomato section to set them up for glory. Drape shadecloth along the roof.
I’m here for help with my 20min coaching sessions, but honestly – my book has it all.
Enjoy the ride Julia
K x