In the Vegetable Garden – January 2019

By Patty Leander

Happy 2019, Master Gardener friends, and cheers to the New Year! I’m excited about the gardening opportunities ahead and I hope you are too. With the holiday hustle and bustle behind us we can now turn our focus toward spring; in just two short (but potentially very cold) months it will be time to plant beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and other warm weather vegetables.
The National Gardening Bureau’s Plant of the Year for 2019 is pumpkin, a diverse member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Most pumpkin varieties with the typical jack-o-lantern shape and orange color are Cucurbita pepo (examples are Racer and Orange Smoothie). Also in this group are pumpkins that produce hulless seeds, such as Kakai, Lady Godiva and Naked Bear. Warty pumpkins and giant pumpkins, including the world-record setting Dill’s Atlantic Giant are Cucurbita maxima. Check out the NGB fact sheet for more information about growing pumpkins at the following link, https://ngb.org/year-of-the-pumpkin/.

If you are a die-hard veggie gardener like me there is plenty to plant this month. Aside from leafy greens, brassicas and root vegetables, the primary vegetables that I focus on in January are onions and asparagus. Both of these vegetables need to get planted this month or else they will struggle to get established before the heat arrives. Sugar-snap peas can also be planted between mid-January and mid-February, ideally when the soil temperature is above 50°. Pea plants grow best when the air temperature is around 60° but these sturdy plants can withstand temperatures down to the mid-30s. Blooms and pods can be damaged by sub-freezing weather so be prepared to protect your plants with row cover if a freeze is predicted.

Here is the vegetable gardener’s checklist for January:

• Plant asparagus crowns this month. Asparagus plants will be growing in the same spot for years to come so take the time to loosen the soil and amend with plenty of organic matter before planting.
• Plant transplants of spinach, lettuce, bok choy, kale and collards. Acclimate transplants to outdoor conditions before planting in the garden and protect young plants from freezing weather.
• Direct seed carrots, beets, turnips, peas and radishes. Cover planting beds with row cover for quicker germination.
• Onion transplants should be set out into the garden 4-6 weeks before the last frost; here in Central Texas that means planting the latter half of January.
• Water vegetable plants weekly for steady growth. Remember that much of the growth is happening underground where we can’t see it.
• Put the Sunshine Community Garden plant sale on the calendar (Saturday, March 2) – their selection of tomato varieties is the best in town. If you are growing your own tomato transplants now is the time to plant seed indoors under grow lights.
• Plant cilantro, dill, sorrel, chives, parsley, thyme and other herbs that like cool weather. Herbs grow well in pots and they are also easy to incorporate into the landscape alongside flowers or shrubs.
• Add compost and fertilizer to vegetable gardens in preparation for late winter plantings.
• Eat your black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck throughout the year!