January Garden Guide

Note: This is general information for the entire state of Arkansas on what to plant in your garden in January. For specific questions about planting in your area, please reach out to your local county agent.

Winter vegetables can grow all winter, provided the temperatures don’t drop too low. Keep some covering handy, and if temperatures are predicted below 28°F, you should protect them with an overturned box, pot or row cover.

Garden Chores for January

Do you keep a gardening journal? January is a great time to start one!

Check out which garden chores we recommend doing this month:

Order seeds and start planning your spring garden! Take some time this month to reflect on your garden from this past year. What worked well? What didn't work? You may wish to keep a gardening journal or notebook.
In your journal, take an inventory of the plants in your landscape. Note their location and past performance.
Monitor rainfall; water as needed. Pay special attention to plants that have been newly planted and container plants.
Clean your garden if you have not already done so this season. Cleaning your garden before spring will help minimize insects and disease. Avoid adding diseased plants to the compost.
Expose over-wintering insects to the cold by tilling garden crops when the soil is on the drier side, and incorporate compost into the soil.
Fertilize winter annuals monthly on a warm winter day.
Protect plants when the temperature drops below freezing. Find tips for freezing temps below!
Cut asparagus back if you have not already done so.
Remove bagworm bags from trees. Removing them now can cut down the number of bagworms you get in the summer.
Mulch strawberry beds, and avoid covering the strawberry crowns.
Give birds plenty of food and water.

In Case of Freezing Temperatures, Ice, or Snow

Protect vegetables and other plants when temperatures drop 28°F and below with an overturned box, flower pot, or other type of protection. For prolonged days of low temps, be sure to remove the covering during the day so your plants can get some sunlight.

Be sure not to mess with frozen plants as they are brittle and can break easily. Assess frost damage when the weather warms back up. Avoid any cosmetic pruning until later as this can expose more of the plant to the cold. Gently brush heavy snow off plants to keep them from being weighed down.

Shallow-rooted vegetables and winter annuals will need supplemental water if dry, particularly before a hard freeze.

Tips for Houseplant Care in Winter

Houseplants are susceptible to being overwatered. Allow growing media to dry out between watering. Don't fertilize in winter months unless indoor plants are growing under optimum high-light conditions.

January is a great time to repot houseplants! Repotting almost always encourages new growth, so it is best to repot in late winter just as the natural light level is increasing and the plants are awakening from their winter doldrums.

Additional houseplant tips:

Check houseplants for pests regularly
Cut back on watering and fertilizing as plants go dormant
Clean/dust the foliage
Use grow-lights, if needed
Consider adding humidity to your home
Avoid letting your plants get too cold

Check out our houseplant resources for more tips!

January Vegetable Planting Guide

January is a great time to plant matted row strawberries and cool-season greens like spinach. Just be sure to protect these plants if the temperature drops too low or there is a heavy frost. See what we recommend planting in your vegetable beds this month:

Strawberries
Spinach
English peas
Salad greens (protected)

January Flower Planting Guide

Pansies are the most popular winter annual for Arkansas gardeners!

The grey of January really makes us want some color in our yard! You can still plant some pansies early on in the month, but feel free to also enjoy the colors of your indoor flowers, such as poinsettias and Christmas cactus. Find our (short) list of what we recommend planting this month:

Pansies (early January)

Persevering Pansies: Pansies thrive in cool weather and will bloom until hot weather causes them to decline next summer. They can be planted from October through early January and again in late March through April, although spring planted pansies are relatively short-lived in the garden.

Plant pansies in a well-drained location with moderately rich soil or in containers, and fertilize upon planting and monthly on warmer days. They will grow in full sun to partial shade. Those in full sun will fade away sooner in the summer, but by then, you will have plenty of other plants to replace them with.

A Note on Azaleas: Do your azaleas have yellow foliage on them, particularly toward the bottoms of the branches? This is likely their annual old leaf shed and is nothing to be worried about.