🗓️ Vegetable garden calendar January

January is short and cold, but the gardening season is already sneaking in. Indoors, you can sow the first crops, keep everything frost-free in the greenhouse, and harvest some winter vegetables outdoors.

Legend

	In house
	Greenhouse/greenhouse
	Outside

🌱 What can you do now?

• Sow early crops indoors or in a greenhouse where there is light and shelter.
• Protect winter crops against frost with fleece or cloches.
• Harvesting winter vegetables such as kale, lamb's lettuce and parsnips.
• Check stock : potatoes, pumpkin and canned vegetables.
• Planning : drawing up a sowing calendar, replenishing seed stock and preparing beds.

👩🌾 Sowing in January

Leafy vegetables

• Leeks – sow indoors now

• Lettuce – on a light windowsill

• Spinach – early cultivation under glass

• Lamb's lettuce – sheltered in a greenhouse or cold glass

Cabbage crops

• Radish – in a greenhouse or under foil

• Garden cress – easy to germinate, ideal indoors

Fruit crops

• Pepper – slow germination, start early

Legumes

• Snow peas – sowing in a greenhouse

• Peas – pre-sowing in a greenhouse

• Broad beans – sowing in a greenhouse

Root vegetables

• Carrot – early varieties in greenhouse

Tip of the month: Keep your greenhouse frost-free and air sparingly during severe cold. This will prevent stunted growth and leaf spot, especially in lettuce and spinach.

🥕 Harvesting and storing in January

It's amazing what you can still harvest fresh from the garden in January with the right cultivation. Combine it with the produce in your pantry, and you'll be eating from your garden all year round.

Leafy vegetables

• Leek – outside (Winter)

• Arugula – greenhouse (Winter)

• Spinach – greenhouse (Winter)

• Lamb's lettuce – greenhouse (Cold glass late)

• Garden cress – indoors

Cabbage crops

• Kale – outdoors (Winter)

• Savoy Cabbage – outside (Late)

• Brussels sprouts – outdoor (Mid/Late)

Root vegetables

• Celeriac – outside (Summer)

• Parsnip – outside (Autumn)

🧺 From your pantry (what can you have in the garden or pantry now)

Leafy vegetables

Plenty available in a cold greenhouse, conservatory, or on the windowsill. Examples: lamb's lettuce, spinach, arugula, garden cress – ready to harvest fresh.

Other base

• Potatoes – store in a cool, dark place

Legumes

• Peas – frozen or sterilized
• Princess beans – frozen or sterilized
• Snow peas – sterilized or pickled
• Broad beans – frozen or pickled

Root vegetables

• Carrot – frozen or sterilized
• Celeriac – store in a cool, dry place
• Parsnips – cool or in storage sand

Fruit crops

• Pickle – preserved
• Courgette – canned or frozen
• Cucumber – pickled
• Corn – frozen
• Paprika / Pepper – dried, frozen or in oil
• Pumpkin – cool, dry or frozen
• Tomato – dried, in oil or sterilized

Spices

Mint, Tarragon, Chives, Dill, Coriander, Parsley, Basil, Thyme, Chervil, Rosemary, Sage – usually dried or preserved in oil/frozen.

🧤 Practical tips

Cultivation & protection

• Use fleece or tunnels outside in severe frost.
• In the greenhouse: check for mold (less water, light air movement).

Seeds & planning

• Check old bags for germination capacity.
• Work out your sowing plan and note down what went well last year.

Inventory management

• Work according to the “first out” principle.
• Use leftovers in soup, stew or preserves.

In short: there's life in the garden even in January. With a little planning, protection, and love, you can already be building a bountiful harvest later in the year.