Southern California Gardening – January

“The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.”
– Alfred Austin

I recently planted a small vegetable garden in our yard, and one of my goals for 2015 is to learn more about gardening in my region (Southern California).  Each month I plan to post gardening advice that I’ve gathered, and it would be GREAT if readers would post tips, comments, corrections and any other thoughts in the comments section below.  I’d love to hear from you, so please help me learn!  Cheers!

Things to plant in January
Lettuce, kale, collards, spinach, chard, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, peas, fava beans, carrots, parsnip, radish, beets, garlic, onion, potatoes, chives, cilantro, dill, parsley, artichoke, bramble berries, blueberries, strawberries and deciduous fruit trees.

January To-Do List
Feed your established cool-season vegetables.
Prune your deciduous fruit trees.
Remove and compost leaf litter from around deciduous fruit trees.
Remove persistent leaves from apple trees to avoid apple scab.
Feed your citrus trees.

Native Plants and Habitat
January is a great month to plant California natives and create wildlife habitat in your own backyard!

Tips
Don’t walk on garden soil when it is wet (this will compact your soil).
Don’t dig is soil when it is wet enough to make dirt balls in your fist.
Have fun!