It’s not too early to begin gathering seeds for the spring garden. Select seeds from reputable sources to ensure high quality. Saving seeds from previous crops can yield unexpected results due to cross pollination. Unless you have a specific reason for saving seeds, such as continuing an unusual species, this practice is not recommended. Quality seeds are often treated for disease and pest resistance helping them produce a more reliable crop. The best start for your garden is from healthy seeds.

Starting transplants for the vegetable garden typically requires four to eight weeks from seeding to transplant date. Visit the Kansas Garden Guide where you can find the Average Expected Planting Calendar to know when the best start date is for seedlings intended for transplanting into the garden.

Always use a disease-free, soilless planting media or seed-starting mix for seeds. The containers for seed-starting can be individual cups, trays or even recycled containers as long as they have drainage holes in the bottom. Fill the container with a couple inches of media and then lightly cover the seeds with the mix after planting. Keep the soil moist until the seeds germinate and keep the containers under lights in a warm location.

When the seedlings have grown two to four small leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into small pots. This will allow them to continue growing until it’s time to transplant into the garden.

An important step for successfully transplanting seedlings into the garden is allowing time for hardening off. This should typically be started about ten days before the transplant date and involves gradually acclimating the seedlings to the outdoor conditions by reducing the amount of water the plants receive while slowly increasing their exposure to the outdoor conditions. This prevents the plants from experiencing transplant shock so they can continue normal growth when they are transplanted.

By Cynthia Domenghini, Extension Agent

If you have yet to make your New Year’s resolutions or have already decided you do not want to keep a resolution like spending more time in the gym, consider flexing your green thumb instead.

A Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service expert offered ideas for garden-centric resolutions as well as yard and landscape tips for January.

From planning vegetable gardens to landscaping perennials to preparing for annuals, there are actions you can resolve to take right now to help your garden perform throughout the growing season, said Larry Stein, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension horticulture specialist, Uvalde, and associate head of the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Horticultural Sciences.

Ideas for garden resolutions

If you need additional motivation to have garden resolutions in 2024, keep in mind that even light gardening and yard work can burn around 300 calories an hour and requires just a commute to your backyard to workout. Gardening also is great for managing stress and improving mental health.

Stein has some ideas and resolutions about choosing varieties, spacing and care as well as water — a much-discussed topic for Texans.

January is an ideal time to plan how to maximize rain and water in your yard year-round, Stein said. Planning ahead can reduce the impact of drought and help protect plants in case of water restrictions during the dog days of summer.

“A big challenge in Texas is when we get rain, we often get too much at the same time and a lot of it goes to waste,” he said.

Resolve to catch water. Although a more elaborate water catchment system can make the most out of the moisture your home receives, even a 5-gallon bucket placed at a gutter’s downspout or a dripline can make a big difference in a garden.

• Resolve to research other water-saving methods to help your garden, such as raingardens or furrow diking. Furrow diking is typically used for agronomic crops, but it can be adapted for use in home gardens. By creating earthen channels to collect water, it helps prevent runoff and maximize every drop of water.
• Plant what will grow in Texas. Texas Superstar plants are designed to use less water and thrive in the conditions found across the state.
• Don’t grow plants or trees too close together. They will compete for resources including nutrients and water. Fewer plants and trees equal healthier and hardier plants and trees. A good rule of thumb with new plants is to follow the nursery tag suggestions for spacing. Trees should have canopies that can provide full shade from the direct sun. Smaller or incomplete canopies are typically an indication your trees are too close together. Don’t be afraid to remove established plants to help others thrive.
• When using a new product, make sure to leave an untreated area as a “check.” If you apply a new fertilizer, pesticide or other product to plants, some plants should be left untreated in order to monitor how they compare to the plants receiving the product. You don’t want to waste future time or money on a product that doesn’t work.

January garden guide

Watch out for changing weather

“Most Texas gardens and landscapes have experienced a warmer-than-usual season so far,” Stein said. “But gardeners shouldn’t let the mild temperatures lull them into thinking that this weather will continue.”

Despite the mild winter, gardeners need to be wary of sudden and extreme changes in temperatures, as this is when landscape plants that cannot be sheltered are the most vulnerable.

“So, if it is 85 degrees one day and predicted to be 18 degrees the following morning, that can be a challenge for plants,” he said. “Make sure plants are well-watered going into such an event.”

Care for cold-weather annuals

Continue to water and fertilize cool-weather annuals such as snapdragons, Bells of Ireland, stocks, larkspur, pansies, violas and sweet alyssum to encourage the best blooms. Even if you are in an area where some of these plants took a hit with a recent cold, they will recover if you take care of them.

Apply slow-release fertilizer to pansies and other cool-season annuals. Distribute 5 pounds of cotton seed or alfalfa meal per 100 square feet of bed area or use commercial slow-release fertilizer products according to label instructions.

Transplant dormant plants

Now is an excellent time to transplant trees and shrubs while they are dormant. When buying plants, the biggest is not always the best, especially when dealing with bare-root plants. The medium-to-small sizes, around 4-6 feet, are usually faster to become established and more effective in the landscape than the large sizes.

Don’t fertilize newly set out trees or shrubs until after they have started to grow, and then only very lightly the first year.

Pick out your vegetables and flowers for spring

Make flower and vegetable garden plans now before the rush of spring planting. Not only will early planning pay off in improved plant selection, but it is also a fun way to spend a winter day paging through garden catalogs and books.

You can begin sowing seeds in flats or containers to get a jump on plant growth before hot weather arrives. Petunias, begonias and impatiens should be sown in January or February. Warm-temperature plants such as tomatoes, peppers, marigolds and periwinkles should be sown in late January or early February.

Also, you can prepare beds and garden areas for spring planting. Till in several inches of compost, composted pine bark or similar material.

K-State horticulture expert says gardening is good for mental wellness

After the holiday rush, it can be challenging to return to a “normal” routine. Having something to look forward to is important after visits with family and friends coming to an end and dreary weather continues.

Kansas State University horticulture expert Cynthia Domenghini said research has shown mental health benefits associated with gardening, including reduced levels of depression, anxiety and increased satisfaction with quality of life.

“Perhaps you have your own experiences with such benefits and that’s why you continue to garden,” Domenghini said. “Gardening can alleviate stress by providing food security. It is a source of physical activity and can serve as a social hobby.”

Each of these benefits supports why gardening is valuable for mental health, she said.

January is designated as Mental Wellness Awareness Month, and with alarming reports of the prevalence of mental health concerns in youth and adults alike, there is reason to bring attention to this campaign, Domenghini said.

“This may be the year to seek out someone you know who could benefit from time in the garden. Maybe they need a gardening mentor or space to grow a few veggies,” Domenghini said.

Or, she adds, perhaps you’re the one who could spend more time in the garden.

Donenghini encourages Kansans to check out the indoor gardening activities included in this week’s K-State horticulture newsletter to start gardening and reap the wellness rewards. Some ideas include:

• Forcing paperwhites.
• Starting onions indoors.
• Starting garden transplants.

“Here’s to a year of improved well-being through gardening,” Domenghini said.

Domenghini and her colleagues in K-State’s Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources produce a weekly Horticulture Newsletter with tips for maintaining home landscapes and gardens. The newsletter is available to view online or can be delivered by email each week.

Interested persons can also send their garden and yard-related questions to Domenghini at [email protected], or contact your local K-State Research and Extension office.