by Linda Carloni, Master Gardener and ABG Board Member
The calendar is turned, and we’ve started turning the pages in our seed catalogs (or clicking online). January can be a busy month for the gardener. Two major tasks for food gardens are planning the spring and summer garden and selecting and planting bare root fruit trees and bushes.
Planning the Spring and Summer Garden
After the cold, wet and dark winter comes the spring, and we gardeners want to be ready to get our annual veggies into the ground. This month’s article by Birgitt Evans is an essential resource for planning your garden and getting the seeds started.
More on Seeds: January is Seed Season
Getting your soil ready: Gardening 101 – Soil Preparation (note: do not dig the soil when it is soggy, wait for it to drain and become nicely moist)
Comprehensive information and starting and maintaining a vegetable garden.
Bare Root Tree Resources
A fruit tree is certainly more expensive to purchase than veggie seeds, but the return is amazing. From one healthy tree, a family can get far more fresh fruit than it can eat for decades. Bare root trees are only available in winter, and are a far more affordable way to start fruit trees than buying them after they are potted up and have grown more.
- Which Tree to Plant and Where
- 7 Go-To Books about Fruit Trees
- Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees – January is the Time!!
- Fruit Trees that Do Well in Alameda
- The California Backyard Orchard
If you want to plant right now
Let the soil drain, and then think about a winter-planted perennial veggie. Our February ABG meeting will be a presentation on perennial vegetables, the unsung heroes of the garden.
These tasks are plenty to keep a gardener busy in the winter and will pay great dividends when it’s time to harvest.