Gardening Jobs for January

January is all about looking through your new seed catalogs and deciding what you are going to grow this year.  I always try and grow something new each year.  This past year it was Okra.  I know some of you are wondering what Okra is and what to do with it.  It is a flowering plant in the mallow family (like cotton or hibiscus).  It is a very popular vegetable in the southern part of the U.S.  You can fry okra or put it in soups or gumbo.  Since Okra loves the heat make sure you try a variety that is tolerant of our cooler summers like “North & South” from Burpee

• Check you houseplants for pests and ensure you water regularly.
• Clear any annual plants out of your beds you might have forgotten to reduce overwintering pests.
• Don’t forget about winter watering when the temperatures get above 50 degrees.  Watering now will prevent root damage and give your plants a better chance of making it through the winter.  Check out Fact Sheet 7.211 at the CSU Extension website.
• Check the mulch levels in your planting beds making sure you have 3-4 inches to protect your bulbs, perennials and shrubs.  Our winter winds have a habit of displacing our mulch from the places we intended.