What can I grow in January on my balcony or in my garden?
January is not the best month for outdoor gardening. It's the coldest month of the year! Between the cold, frost, wind and lack of light, conditions are not very favorable for plants and their growth. However, it's a good time to prepare your vegetable garden, to guarantee a good harvest in spring.
Don't panic, you'll still be able to garden to get the New Year off to a good start!
Contents
Protecting your plants from frost and cold
January is a difficult time for our plants, especially in regions hit by severe cold and frost. Here are a few tips to protect your plants from the cold during the winter season:
- Bring your plants indoors, in a greenhouse, or protect them with winter sails,
- remove the cups under your pots and planters to prevent water from freezing,
- mulch the base of your plants to act as a thermal insulator.
Find out more in our article "Protecting plants from frost"!
If you have a vegetable composting garden, you may be wondering whether you need to protect it during the winter? We answer all your questions in this article.
Prepare your balcony vegetable garden in January
January is the perfect month to get your balcony vegetable garden ready for spring!
During this short winter break, take the time to :
- Manage your seed stocks
- Plan your seedlings for the coming year
- Amend your soil, with compost for example
- Prepare your planting areas (vegetable patches, planters, pots, etc.).
- Check your gardening tools
You can also start your own composter! If you don't have much space, an apartment composter is an ideal alternative.
Sow, plant, harvest in January
Despite unfavorable weather, you'll still be able to grow vegetables and herbs in January on your balcony or in your garden.
What to plant in January?
January is the perfect month to plant garlic and shallots. Both are perfect for growing in pots! Growing them is not difficult. However, they don't like damp soil, so find them a sheltered spot on your balcony.
- Garlic: if your climate is mild, plant your white and violet garlic cloves as early as January-February.
- Shallots: plant shallot bulbs from October to January.
If you live in the south of France, where the climate is mild, you can already plant aromatic herbs such as thyme, rosemary, sage and mint. Find them a sunny, dry spot, protected from the wind.
When it comes to flowers, there are some that thrive in winter. Bare-root roses, primroses, pansies, forget-me-nots and winter heather can still be planted in January. Place them in sun or half-shade with light soil. You'll find some of these flowers in our winter box.
What to sow in January
From mid to late January, start your first vegetable seedlings under cover or greenhouse!
- Radish: space seeds 3 cm apart. Be careful, seeds germinate quickly: space out your sowings to spread out your harvests. Don't sow all your seeds at once!
- Lettuce: start sowing spring lettuce as early as mid-January. Sow every 15 days to three weeks for uninterrupted harvests!
- Cabbages: sow your cabbages from January to August in well-drained, moist, rich soil. Several cabbage varieties, such as kale, pak choi and Brussels sprouts, grow well in pots, tubs or window boxes.
- Carrots: from the end of January, sow short or half-long carrot varieties (Bellot, Marché de Paris, Nantaise). Sow the tiny seeds fairly densely, barely covering them with soil. They prefer sandy soil. Carrots can also be grown in pots on balconies. Don't hesitate to combine them with radishes.
- Turnips: from December and January, sow spring turnip varieties such as Milan, Croissy and Vertus Marteau turnips for harvesting in April/May. Sow them 1 cm deep, in rich soil.
What to harvest in January
After the holidays, there's nothing better than eating a few winter vegetables...
Cook great recipes using fennel, chicory, celery, broccoli, cabbage, leeks, carrots and salsify. Celery or chicory salad, rutabaga purée, leek pie or cauliflower gratin: enough to fill your plate and your stomach!
You can also prepare your best vegetable soups to face the cold. Enjoy!
