Often we are itching to do some gardening, but are left wondering, what to do in January? In the Atlanta area we are blessed with a long season, and to be ready to go, there are some things you should be doing in January. Here is a list of some of those things:
- Cut back groundcovers
- Cut back ornamental grasses
- Clean up remaining leaves from holidays
- Police up branches from winter storms
- Turn over compost heap
- Put out left over Spring bulbs (may not bloom until next season, but better to put them out than worry about storage issues)
- Refresh mulches.
- Spray errant winter weeds which may have cropped up in lawns.
- Inspect and test gardening equipment: lawnmowers, spreaders, loppers, etc. (Note needed repairs and have addressed this will give you time to get to repair shop, order parts, and get everything back before you actually need it.)
- Assess needs for any major tree work--better to get done before Spring.
- Plan for Spring planting season: look in catalogues, visit the nursery, make plant lists,contact any landscape contractors.
- Assess condition of outdoor structures, gutters, downspouts, run off and erosion issues.
- Clean gutters, or have them cleaned.
- Sign up for gardening classes.
There are probably a dozen other items that could be included here, but this should get you started. The important thing is to not wait for it to get warm to start planning--Spring will be here before you know it and you want to be ready to go.
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