January in the Garden

It may be cold and rainy outside but daffodils are starting to pop up and Spring is just around the corner. Now’s the time to curl up with a few garden catalogs and plan the summer ahead. This is also the time to get started on early spring veggies or plants that take a looong time to mature (this means you Mr. Artichoke).

Starting seeds indoors

Lights

It’s hard to get too much light indoors when it comes to starting veggies. For anything other than a green house or coldframe you really need to add some extra light – sorry but even a south-facing windowsill doesn’t really provide enough light. You don’t need fancy $400 grow lights just to start veggies, inexpensive 4′ fluorescent shop lights or LED’s will do just fine. Purchase bulbs in “cool white” (3500K and up) since this is closer to sunlight. Hang lights just 2″-4″ inches above the tops of your seedlings – chains will make it easy to adjust the height as your seedlings grow. An inexpensive timer should keep lights on 16 hours per day.

Heat

Seedlings will benefit greatly from bottom heat supplied by electric mats. Bottom heat promotes healthy roots as well as vigorous plant growth. Heat also helps to prevent “damping off” – a condition when pathogens in the soil kill tiny seedlings.

Any of these plants can be started indoors during the month of January:

Artichoke

Arugula

Endive

Kale

Leeks

Lettuce

Mustard

Onions

Scallions

Spinach