If you are new to Florida, or gardening, or both, then it may surprise you to know that you can actually start seeds even in the coldest months of the year! So, if you want to start the new year off with a new garden, or you’re looking for some gardening inspiration for the coming year, here’s what you can expect for this month, with a list of seeds to plant in January. (And, they don’t demand a whole bunch of work!)
Growing Conditions in January
The average temperatures are around 45 to 75° varying quite a bit between North and South Florida. Generally though, the weather is mild, with an occasional freeze here and there. Because freezes don’t last more than a couple hours, you can get away with growing warm weather crops this time of year. Just keep an eye on the forecast and protect your warm weather plants when needed.
This time of year is relatively dry, we only get about 2-3 inches of rain this month. Sometimes more or less, but you’ll need to keep an eye on your plants and water them when needed. Especially since we will be growing water loving things like squashes, tomatoes, and corn.
The UV index is 4.
What seeds to plant in January
Leafy Greens
Some of the best seeds to plant in January are salad greens. A lot of really pesky bugs are asleep or getting eaten up by all of the birds that migrated down here from up north. This time of year we also get a couple “cold” snaps that only make the greens sweeter. We love bloomsdale spinach, any type of loose leaf lettuce, bok choy, yod fah broccoli, and celery this time of year.
You can also start longer growing brassica’s such as kale, cauliflower and cabbage. To have even more success with these cooler weather crops, grow them in the dappled shade of warm loving crops such as beans, tomatoes, sunflowers, or corn.
Potatoes & Tomatoes
Potatoes and tomatoes are actually part of the same family, solanaceae or nightshade. They like it warm, but not hot or humid. There are two types of growing patterns for both these plants, indeterminate, and determinate.
It’s easy to know the difference between the two on a tomato. Indeterminate grows like a vine and determinate grows like a bush. With potatoes it’s basically the same, but the vine or bush is underground.
Determinate potatoes will grow all of their potatoes at the same level. They produce smaller potatoes, and are ready to harvest sooner. Indeterminate potatoes will grow spuds up the length of their root, so bury them deep and hill them up as they grow. These will take longer to harvest but your patience is rewarded with larger potatoes.
Corn
The next three seeds to plant in January comprise of the famous three sisters companion planting.
Corn is a warm loving crop. However, they get absolutely decimated by pests during the summer and even fall. You can’t really blame the bugs for loving corn as much as we do. So, to avoid the pest pressure, growing corn through the winter months is a good option. They can handle some cold weather even down to 28°F for a short period of time. Giving them a thick layer of mulch will help hold some heat in, as well and growing them with other crops such as squash and beans. They can act as a blanket for each other if it gets a little chilly at night.
You can also grow your corn in a polytunnel if you are further north and deal with slightly cooler temperatures.
Squash
Both summer and winter squash can be grown this time of year. If you’ve been gardening in Florida for any length of time, you know how difficult it can be to grow summer squashes. They love the warmth and sun, but hate the monsoon rains we get in summer. So, we don’t have a huge window of time to get in some zucchini. By starting in January, you can get your squashes mature when the dry, warm months of March, April, and May roll around. Stay on top of squash vine borers though…. they wake up from winter hungry.
If you don’t want to deal with the challenge of summer squashes, winter squashes are much more reliable here. We even have a native squash called the Seminole Pumpkin. The Seminole pumpkin produces medium sized squash that taste a lot like a butternut or acorn. They love to climb so trellising is a good idea if you have a small space. The Seminole people traditionally grew these pumpkins at the base of trees.
And, if you are growing corn, squash is a great companion plant.
Beans & Peas
This time of year is perfect for peas and even some warm loving beans.
Traditional green beans, like Kentucky blue do really well this time of year. We’ve even had success with heirloom black beans from northern climates. Black turtle beans have done very well for us in the winter, and even survived a couple hours at 34°F without any fuss. We’ve also grown heat loving beans, such as Chinese Noodle/Yard Long Beans through the winter and summer and have found they also grow like champs.
Peas are such a fun crop to grow and great for kids to help with. They love sowing the large seeds, watering them in and of course eating the sweet pods. If your kids refuse to eat veggies, try letting them grow a pot of peas and see if they won’t eat those.
A lot of beans and peas will grow like vines and need a trellis…. so why not grow those with the corn and squash? The three sisters are a classic and reliable companion planting.
Root vegetables
Carrots, beets, radishes, parsnips, onions and other alliums absolutely love cool weather. Frosts don’t bother them at all which means that you don’t have to freeze your butt off trying to protect them from cold wintery nights. These can also be used as cover crops if you’d like to boost fertility for your spring and summer gardens.
You can also use these root vegetables, especially large roots like a daikon radish, as a way to loosen hard, compacted soil. To do this grow your root vegetable to maturity, but all the leaves off the plant and allow the root to rot in place. This will open up your soil allowing oxygen to access your crops roots, and nourishing soil life.
The leaves are also edible, with beet leaves being especially tasty in my opinion. If you have family members who aren’t too keen on their greens, perhaps they won’t mind beet leaves? Even if they don’t like them they add a nice burst of color to salads.
If you like a bit of spice to your salads, radish leaves will be fun to experiment with as well. 🙂
Herbs & Flowers
Herbs have honestly been a sore spot for me. They are supposed to be some of the easiest crops to grow, but they just don’t like it here. Or maybe it’s just me?
Anyways, there are some herbs that have done really well for me and love growing in January. Coriander/cilantro, parsley, and echinacea. Coriander has been one of the easiest herbs I’ve ever grown and it’s adored by pollinators. Parsley and echinacea will need to be cold stratified before sowing. This just means that the seeds have to go through a “winter” in order to wake up in “spring”. To imitate this this, throw the seeds in your fridge for a few weeks before sowing. You can place the seeds in a lightly dampened paper towel, or keep them in their seed packets. Whatever floats your boat.
I also love growing cosmos, marigolds, sunflowers, and black eyed susans this time of year. Marigolds, sunflowers and black eyed susans can also be grown through some of the hotter months as well 😀
This is just a short list of the crops you could grow this January, but I hope it gives you some ideas of what you could try this month. Is this your first time trying to start a garden? Or, if you’ve been gardening in Florida for a while, what crops do best for you this time of year? I’d love to hear it all in the comments below.
Happy sowing!
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