There is a general rule to not sow any seeds 6 weeks either side of Christmas, as there is just not much energy from the sun available in terms of both light and heat and seeds and seedlings can struggle to get going.
There are some seeds that can be sown in January but there are caveats to this – see below:
Unheated in module trays or pots under cover from mid-Jan:
- Asian salads
- Lettuce
- Sweet peas – beware of mice, they adore sweet pea seeds
- Poppies – prefer to be direct-sown but will do fine from modules too
With heat for germination and then unheated undercover:
With continuous heat and light – ADVANCED! Plants will get very weak and leggy without the right amount of heat and light:
Direct:
- Poppies – some people sprinkle poppy seeds onto fallen snow in the winter
It’s January. The time of new beginnings and for many, resolutions about the season ahead. Do you have any dreams for your garden in 2025? While the soil and land are still sleeping, it’s a great time to do some visioning for your hopes and dreams for your garden. Is there anything you’d love to grow that you’ve never tried before? Have you just landed on a new growing space and have a whole world of potential at your fingertips?
Here are some growing tips for those hours when you’re keen to get out into the winter sun and make some progress:
- Organising your tool shed, sharpening and fixing any tools
- Delving into your favourite growing resources to deepen your knowledge – (check out our Growing Guides for crop-specific growing/seed saving instructions) – https://vitalseeds.co.uk/growing…/growing-resources/
- Do germination tests on any seeds leftover from previous seasons that you aren’t sure will still be viable
- Design your plot, successional plantings and crop rotations for the season ahead
- Attend a local seed swap – meet with other seed enthusiasts in your community and swap seeds and knowledge
- Weed and clean your propagation tunnel, trays and propagation materials
- Clean your polytunnel plastic / greenhouse glass to remove any debris and algae
- Inspect your polytunnel plastic for any tears and use special repair tape to cover
- Prune fruit trees and bushes, removing any congested, diseased or damaged branches
- Force your rhubarb to produce early shoots by covering the crown with a bucket or special rhubarb forcing pot
- Sow sweet peas by soaking the seeds overnight and placing four seeds into each corner of a 9cm pot