Partner Post: Gardener’s Guide to a Happy January

The weather outside is frightful, but the garden is so delightful! Despite chilly temperatures, you can garden throughout January — and all winter long.

Once your hands touch the soil again, it will instantly feel like spring.

Keep your green thumb warm with this list of things to do in the garden this January!    

Things to Do in the Garden in January:

Ward off those winter blues with a hearty helping of green, gardening thoughts.  

1. Dream Big. Plan or rework your garden design. Pin inspiration, flip through gardening magazines and daydream ways to make your garden even better. Illustrate your garden plan to visualize the entire space. 

2. Plan Small. Make a list of organic fruit, vegetable and flower seeds to grow. Get the most of seed starting by growing unique varieties, heirlooms, and expensive grocery store plants. Mark it on your calendar when to start seeds indoors and when to plant them.

3. Listen to the Songbirds. Nothing livens up a dreary, wintry day like a flock of fluttering birds. Fill bird feeders with tasty seeds this winter.     

4. Take a Look. Walk around your home and garden with a notebook. Imagine how you could reduce water usage, recycle more, compost or conserve energy. Each week in January, try one idea to see what works. Start by recycling your Christmas tree if you haven’t already.

5. Clean It Up. Give garden tools a good scrub. Rinse off dirt, sharpen blades and rub vegetable oil on the metal.

6. Infuse Flavors. Get your green thumb back in the potting soil. Start an indoor herb garden to harvest a garden-fresh taste on the coldest winter days. See what herbs do best indoors here.

Here’s to a home filled with fresh herbs, the sweet song of birds and a stack of gardening magazines. January’s looking quite charming after all!