January in Central Victoria offers the perfect chance to tidy, maintain, and prepare your garden while enjoying summer harvests. With longer daylight hours and warm weather, even weekend gardeners can achieve a lot. Whilst this is often a very busy time of year for us, like most families with two working parents, there seems to be just that bit more time and breathing space in January to get things done, or maybe it is the promise of new year goals. Or at least it feels that way for us. This is a detailed guide to keep your garden thriving while making your time efficient and enjoyable.
What to Plant Now:
While the peak planting season has passed, there are still plenty of options for a productive and colorful garden.
Fast-Growing Veggies: Sow seeds for radishes, lettuce, rocket, and Asian greens. These crops mature quickly, giving you fresh harvests within weeks. Try planting in smaller batches every fortnight to stagger your harvests and avoid a glut.
Herbs: Basil, coriander, and parsley thrive in summer. If you’re short on space, plant them in pots where they’ll stay warm but not waterlogged.
Flowers: Add late-season cheer with marigolds, zinnias, and sunflowers. They’re bee-friendly and low-maintenance, making them perfect for filling any gaps in your beds.
Remember to keep an eye on soil moisture when planting. Summer’s heat can dry out shallow-planted seeds, so water lightly and regularly until they germinate.
General Garden Tasks:
The routine things that keep the garden growing:
Watering
Water early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid evaporation. Aim for deep watering once or twice a week instead of shallow daily watering. This encourages roots to grow deeper, making plants more resilient. We use bunnings dripper hose in most area's of our garden but give our hedges and freshly planted seedlings more water. Whilst on the topic of water don't forget to keep a dish of water out for pollinators and local wildlife, a shallow bowl works if you don't have a bird bath. Add a few pebbles in for bees ad butterflies to safely land on.
Mulching
Top up your mulch with straw, pea straw, or bark chips. This reduces evaporation, regulates soil temperature, and suppresses weeds. A 5-7 cm layer is ideal. Keep mulch clear of plant stems to avoid rot.
Weeding
Pull weeds while the soil is slightly damp for easier removal. Target weeds before they flower and seed to save yourself headaches later. Use a hand weeder or hoe for stubborn roots. We try to avoid using sprays and chemicals as best we can. Consistency pays off in time.
Feeding Your Garden
Feed your veggies and flowers with a seaweed solution or organic liquid fertiliser every two weeks. For tired soil, work in compost or well-rotted manure to replenish nutrients. Our pond water has been a vital part to our gardening success. We bucket it from the pond and add it to the garden and then top up the pond usig fresh water. This is an easy win for the fish, the plants, and how everything works together.
Deadheading and Pruning
Remove spent flowers on annuals and perennials like roses and daisies to encourage more blooms. Use sharp secateurs for a clean cut just above a leaf node or bud. As we've said before, we love Felco's but any good snips work. Just don't forget to clean the between plants.
Lightly prune summer-fruiting shrubs once their harvest is complete to shape them and promote healthy growth.
Harvesting
Check your garden regularly for ripe produce. Pick zucchinis when they’re small and tender, tomatoes as they turn fully red, and beans before they bulge. Frequent harvesting encourages plants to keep producing. If you have a garden mate nibbling on your tomatoes. You can harvest them as they start to turn colour and leave them to ripen on a kitchen windowsill.
Efficiency Tips for Weekend Gardeners:
Maximise your time with these strategies:
Prioritise Tasks: Focus on watering and weeding first. These are the backbone of garden health, especially in summer.
Prepare in Advance: Lay out your tools, seeds, and mulch before starting. This minimises back-and-forth trips. I use a wheel barrow for this around our large garden but one day I will get a gorilla cart to help!
Tackle Small Sections: Don’t overwhelm yourself. Pick a single garden bed or area to work on each weekend. I do 10 minutes a day with a glass of wine or coffee and just enjoy the task. It quickly amounts to a significat dent if you stay consistent.
Use the Right Tools: Sharp secateurs, a sturdy trowel, and a good pair of gloves will save you time and effort.
Stay Comfortable: Avoid gardening in the midday heat. Wear a wide-brim hat, use sunscreen, and keep a water bottle handy.
Looking Ahead:
January is also a time for planning and small projects:
Prepare for Autumn Planting: Start mapping out your veggie patch for brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), root crops (carrots, beetroot), and leafy greens. Check your seed stock and order early.
Soil Preparation: If a bed is empty, enrich it now with compost and let it rest. It’ll be ready for your next plantings.
DIY Projects: Set up a compost bin or build a simple trellis for climbing plants like beans and cucumbers. These are quick wins that pay off big time.
Consider any plants to relocate or remove in the winter months. Ay bareroot plants will always transplant better. I often consider the placement of my roses this time of year and jot notes on any changes to make in July/August.
With a bit of focus and preparation, January can be a productive and enjoyable month in your garden. It's one of our favourite times if the year (minus the risks of bushfires) and the month where we get the bulk of our vegetable harvests for the year from. The contiual .supply of fresh cut flowers also helps too for keeping the home happy and bright but also for sharing with friends. So grab your gloves, embrace the summer sun (safely), and watch your garden grow!
Happy gardening,
Clair
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