It might be cold and frosty in the garden this month but there’s still plenty to enjoy. Here are some garden activities for January.
Garden activities for January
Welcome to our garden classroom! This post is part of our Kids Gardening Activities. You can use our month-by-month garden guides for your school gardening club, community garden or at home with your family and I’ll show you what to plant, harvest, do, make and learn each month of the year. You will also find more ideas and inspiration in my book, The Garden Classroom.
Here’s my guide for what to do in the garden in January.
#1 What to plant in January
January is a great time to start a mini indoor farm growing microgreens. Microgreens are seeds that are grown to be harvested as baby shoots and are a delicious, nutritious addition to sandwiches and on top of salads to give winter meals a fresh boost. Use trays of compost indoors, sprinkle with seeds, cover with just a little more compost and water lightly. Harvest when the seeds are around 5 – 10cm high. Try using cress, peas, beetroot, alfalfa, coriander, mustard or pak choi.
#2 Order potatoes
Now is the time order potatoes for the year. You can choose from small, waxy, salad potatoes, or large potatoes suited to baking or making chips. Potatoes grow very well in pots so you can fit in a few tubs around your garden space. Tipping out the tubs later in the summer to harvest the spuds is lots of fun and will make your children feel like pirates digging for buried treasure!
#3 Prune trees
January is a good time to cut back trees before the sap rises and the new growth starts. As deciduous trees have dropped their leaves, you’ll have a clearer picture of the shape and size of your trees, so you can prune to the size you want.
#5 What to harvest in January
In the UK you can harvest sprouting broccoli, Brussel’s sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes, leeks, parsnips, swedes and turnips.
#6 Create winter art
Make the most of the colder temperatures to create beautiful outdoor art. Try painting on snow or building ice sculptures.
#7 Get The Garden Classroom guide
My book The Garden Classroom is bursting with ideas you can use to make the most of the math, science, literacy, art and play waiting for you outdoors. This is your go-to book to give your children a connection with nature, and is full of creative ways to use the garden to inspire learning. See more and get your copy here.
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