Januarys Planting Dates ~

[Spinner]

Jan. 1-2 – Poor days for planting. Seeds tend to rot in the ground.

Jan. 3-5 – Best time for planting beets, carrots, onions and other hardy root crops. Good for starting seedbeds and flowers.

Jan. 6-10 – A barren time. Best for killing weeds, briars, poison ivy and other plant pests. Clear woodlots and clean out fencerows.

Jan. 11-12 – Good days for planting root crops, also good for sowing grains, hay and forage crops. Plant flowers.

Jan. 13-15 – Plant carrots, turnips, onions, beets, Irish potatoes and other root crops in the south. Lettuce, cabbage, collards and other leafy vegetables planted on these dates will do well. Start seedbeds.

Jan. 16-17 – Seeds planted now will do poorly and yield little.

Jan. 18-19 – Good days for planting aboveground crops like sweet corn, beans and peppers in warm climates.

Jan. 20-21 – A good time to kill plant pests and for plowing. Poor days for planting.

Jan. 22-23 – Fine days for planting any aboveground crop where climate permits. Extra good days for planting peppers, tomatoes, peas and other vine crops.

Jan. 24-25 – Barren days. Do not plant anything on these days.

Jan. 26-27 – Okay for beans, peppers, cucumbers, melons and other aboveground crops in warm climate.

Jan. 28-30 – Poor days for planting. Seeds tend to rot in the ground.

Jan. 31 – Best day for aboveground crops, especially peas, beans, cucumbers and squash where climate is warm. Also good for seedbeds and flower gardens.


I know this says to plant in the south, but after reading about winter sowing, some of you might want to try planting a few things in the north too.

[MsPacMan]

What is your source for these recommendations?

[Spinner]

They come out in a monthly mag called Cappers. It's been published for 125 years.

[tim_the_biggen]

but here in west kentucky we dont see the ground much in january and i have never heard of anyone planting in january. other than a green house, my 2 cents worth. tim

[MaineFarmMom]

A lot of the US is warm enough to plant in January.

We're planting snowmen seeds now. So far so good. We got 2" of snow yesterday. I'm hoping a lot of the seeds sprout next month.

[GoatLove]

This is interesting. I live in Maryland and would love to plant carrots, turnups and onions. When would be the best time for me to plant? Also, I am thinking of starting the seeds in the house before planting outside, when would be the best time to start the seeds inside? TIA

[james dilley]

Thank you for the charts.

[Spinner]

Originally Posted by tim_the_biggen

but here in west kentucky we dont see the ground much in january and i have never heard of anyone planting in january. other than a green house, my 2 cents worth. tim

It works on the same principal as the weeds and stuff that comes back every spring. The seeds set dormant all winter in the ground instead of in an envelope.

Originally Posted by GoatLove

This is interesting. I live in Maryland and would love to plant carrots, turnups and onions. When would be the best time for me to plant? Also, I am thinking of starting the seeds in the house before planting outside, when would be the best time to start the seeds inside? TIA

Just use the dates for planting root crops. I like the idea of planting in the winter too. Come spring, the plants know when to pop their little heads out.

I have always started my seeds inside in Jan. This year I plan to start some inside (for insurance), and some outside. I'll compare them to see which so better. If the winter planting works out good, then it'll save a lot of work next spring.

[GoatLove]

Originally Posted by Spinner

Just use the dates for planting root crops. I like the idea of planting in the winter too. Come spring, the plants know when to pop their little heads out.

So, start my seeds inside in January and plant in the end of January?

[Spinner]

Originally Posted by GoatLove

So, start my seeds inside in January and plant in the end of January?

No, don't start them inside, plant the seeds outside just like you do when you start a new garden every spring. The cold outside will keep the seeds dormant until time for them to sprout, (much the same as storing seeds in your frig). The idea is that if the plant was left to go to seed, the seeds would drop and over winter, then sprout and grow at the proper time in the spring. If you start them indoors and then move them outside, they will go into shock and die.

I’ve had volunteer watermelons grow in my front yard where seeds were dropped when my grandkids ate watermelon. I’m thinking that maybe we have to replant our gardens every year because we harvest EVERYTHING and leave nothing to complete it’s cycle and reseed for the following years. For me this is an exciting idea.

[GoatLove]

Thanks Spinner