January Garden Chores For Texas And Warm Climates

Today is January 9, 2025 and we are having freezing temperatures this week. It is a bit unusual for our normally hot climate. Did you know that you should be working in your garden in January? Here are a few January garden chores that we have come up with for you to handle this month.

Most importantly, early in the month in Texas, start your tomato seeds indoors so they will be ready when it is time for them to go into the ground in March. If you don't start them by January, you probably won't get spring tomatoes. Once the heat hits, tomatoes stop growing. I am talking about 95° plus daytime temperatures and 75° plus nighttime temperatures which are too hot to allow fruit to grow. To start them, be sure and have them under real grow lights. House lights or putting them in the window will not provide enough light.

If you have fruit trees, like we do, January garden chores should include pruning them for better spring growth. There are books on how to do this. This is also a great month to add cow manure to your trees for fertilization. 

Go through all of your garden tools in the shed and if you need to clean and/or sharpen them, do so now. Dead head and prune rose bushes.

If you live in a warm climate, plant asparagus seeds and artichoke seeds. If you have previous asparagus ferns, chop them down to ground level. They should be dead by now from frost. Do not pull them up or you won't get new asparagus. Cut them down and clear the bed to make way for new spring asparagus. Leave about one inch from the ground.

Add compost to your empty garden beds. Then put mulch on top.

Cut your cover crops down and then till them under, mixing them in with the soil in your garden area. You could also leave them on top acting as mulch. Either way, they will replenish your garden soil with nutrients.

Plan when and where you will plant each variety in your garden.

In early January, plant short day onions in the southern part of Texas, including the San  Antonio area. You can also start flowers indoors in pots such as zinnias, gomphrenas, and sunflowers. Then, when it warms up, you can transplant them outside.

In the middle of January, you can plant potatoes in the ground or in pots outside. This does not include sweet potatoes.

In late January in southern Texas, it is time to plant the beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, and turnips in the ground for a second round. It is also time to plant snow peas, snap peas, and regular peas in the ground. Don't forget to sow the seeds for arugula, chard, lettuce, and other leafy greens like mache vit and spinach. Yes, they are cold-hardy so give them a try.