January

January is a quieter month in the garden, but it’s a great time to set yourself up for a strong growing season. Use the colder days to plan crop rotations, order seeds, and check your stored supplies. In milder spells, clear fallen leaves, tidy borders, and keep paths safe and accessible. Inspect fruit trees, canes, and shrubs for damaged branches and remove them cleanly; many deciduous plants can be pruned now while they’re dormant, as long as conditions are dry and not freezing. Protect vulnerable perennials with mulch, ventilate greenhouses on bright days to reduce damp, and check winter coverings after storms. Indoors, start slow-growing seeds or microgreens where light allows, and keep an eye on houseplants for overwatering. For animal keepers, January is all about winter care and routine health checks. Ensure water sources don’t freeze, bedding stays dry, and housing is well ventilated without drafts. Increase calories if animals are burning more energy to keep warm, and keep feed stored securely against moisture and rodents. It’s also a good month to clean and disinfect equipment, review fencing and housing repairs, and prepare for spring arrivals by checking incubators, brooders, and lambing or kidding kits.