January Planting Guide - So Cal

Talk about your happy new year. January offers a lot of choices for planting. So far this winter does not seem particularly harsh (I say as I sit by my space heater) but it does not make sense to push the envelope on the warm night lovers just yet. No duh I am sure you are saying. Perhaps that is my own impatience speaking.

I am in new digs with a much smaller garden - just one 4X4 box, and I am planting for the first time here in a few days. I cannot wait and the challenge is to not go crazy.

That said, here is what to plant in January in a typical So Cal garden:

Asparagus
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celery (last month to plant)
Chives
Endive
Kale
Kohl Rabi
Leeks
Lettuce
Onions
Parsley
Peas
Potatoes
Radish
Rutabaga
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Turnips

Hummmmmmmmmm Asparagus takes like three years to grow don't start them till after frost has passed

HillbillyBob wrote:Hummmmmmmmmm Asparagus takes like three years to grow don't start them till after frost has passed

I almost did not include asparagus because it is not a typical SFG plant and has to have a dedicated space rather than just a square or two somewhere. But the frost will be over in January so no worries.

Fot those looking for potatoes here in southern California Home Depot has seed potatoes now. I saw them at HD in Fontana on monday. They had Yukon Gold and a red and a white potato.

According to weather.com and for the 92563 zip code it looks like the nights will be in the mid to high 30s at worst and days in the high 60s and low 70s. Your mileage may vary depending on your micro-climate, but if it holds it means frost free days likely from now 'til next November or so. Woo-hoo.

Like I have said, we have two seasons for planting - a really long spring and a really long summer.

Ok, I am new to all this (and also in zone 18).. new to SFG and gardening in general...
I am starting all from seeds

Which one from that list do you start indoor and which one outdoor for January ?
for the one outdoor do you need to cover them to get higher temperatures for germination ?

I also have a 4x4 box + a potato box

All seeds in the ground I believe. Not sure about asparagus, but it is not an annual so I will ignore it. I have not covered mine but I do not see below freezing in the forecast. I think we may have seen our last frost. I am adding a potato box this year also. I am getting some seed potatoes from Armstrong Nursery tomorrow. Last time I just used potatoes gone to seed.

Usually if it is to be set out as a plant I mention that. Right now if you are ambitious you can start tomatoes indoors is seed trays. I actually have a small seed tray (the kind with peat pots and a plastic lid). It has been so warm that I have put it out during the day and just taken it in at night. This is the first year I am starting anything by seed. I usually just plant seeds and buy pepper and tomato plants at the big box stores.

I have noticed that most spring crops do not transplant well whereas a lot of summer crops do. With exceptions of course, but they still seem hardier for transplanting.

Great ! Thank you for your answer !
I guess it is time to place my box in its final spot and fill it up with the mix ! yey !

If the weather keeps up like this we can plant tomato seeds in the box now! Except it is still pretty cool at night. It might be one of those non-winter winters. Done at the end of 2011 not to e seen again until the end of 2012.

Do I DARE try cucumbers this early? My cukes last year were a bust and so no pickles in the pantry - it's a desperate state of affairs!

I'm new to SFG this year but so anxious to get going on it!

feedinthefamily wrote:Do I DARE try cucumbers this early? My cukes last year were a bust and so no pickles in the pantry - it's a desperate state of affairs!

I'm new to SFG this year but so anxious to get going on it!

Where abouts in southern California are you? I am in the Inland Empire area (Bloomington). I plan on starting seeds )cucumber, tomato and pepper) inside soon. I'm still picking tomatoes started last feb/march and have lettuce, broc, carrots, and garlic doing well in the garden. Plus one volunteer potato and am ready to plant more potatoes and carrots. I am working on 2 new beds, at least one of which will be a tabletop.

Here in the inland empire of So Cal, we have a number of micro climates. Does anyone know where I can find more detailed info on the zone of the micro climate I am in? I found it once, but I can't find it again. BTW I live just east of the 15fwy, just south of Foothill, where the power lines have the wind come down over the pass and blow things away every year. In the few years living here, rain is less than surrounding, wind is stronger, very, very, rare frost, 1-3 degree warmer than higher up. So not sure just what "zone" that puts me in. Thanks for the planting suggestions! I look forward to more on this topic.

You can search your usda growing zone here by zip code: http://www.garden.org/zipzone/. I can sympathize with your wind!

rocketman1701 wrote:Here in the inland empire of So Cal, we have a number of micro climates. Does anyone know where I can find more detailed info on the zone of the micro climate I am in? I found it once, but I can't find it again. BTW I live just east of the 15fwy, just south of Foothill, where the power lines have the wind come down over the pass and blow things away every year. In the few years living here, rain is less than surrounding, wind is stronger, very, very, rare frost, 1-3 degree warmer than higher up. So not sure just what "zone" that puts me in. Thanks for the planting suggestions! I look forward to more on this topic.

I think you are probably the same as I am - 9B.

Try this map for lots of info, just plug in your zip code;

http://www.plantmaps.com/index.php

I am about 3 miles south of you now and grew up in Rialto. The wind last night took down our old TV antenna.

Lindacol wrote:
Where abouts in southern California are you?

I'm in Fallbrook, very close to the 15 (not in town). There seems to be some confusion between web sites whether I'm in zone 9a or 9b. USDA zone says 10a. PlantMap says 9b.

feedinthefamily wrote:

Lindacol wrote:
Where abouts in southern California are you?

I'm in Fallbrook, very close to the 15 (not in town). There seems to be some confusion between web sites whether I'm in zone 9a or 9b. USDA zone says 10a. PlantMap says 9b.

Actually looking closer at the USDA map, probably 10b.

feedinthefamily wrote:

Lindacol wrote:
Where abouts in southern California are you?

I'm in Fallbrook, very close to the 15 (not in town). There seems to be some confusion between web sites whether I'm in zone 9a or 9b. USDA zone says 10a. PlantMap says 9b.

I also find different zones, from 8B to 9B. But I have lived in this area for most of my life and know the temp here never gets below 25 F and rarely gets below freezing.

Happy New year! I spent a lovely low key afternoon in the garden. Did a lot of clean up and some rearranging. Pulled the last of the carrots, harvested a bell pepper (there are still a couple more on the plants) and a couple of green onions that never bulbed up. Picked the first leaves of red sails lettuce and a few cherry type tomatoes (there are still lots of green ones and flowers even though we have had a couple of frosts). Still have several nice gypsy peppers ripening. I have garlic coming up and several squares of various lettuces and spinach just started.

I've revived this thread to show what we can grow in January in southern California. Take a look back at the first post for a list that Chopper posted last year.

I'm in Central California in the mountains at 8A. I grew up in San Diego and am visiting here right now. I forget how warm the winters were since we've been gone for 9 years. Everyone is whining about being cold and I'm in sandals, LOL!

Year round growing is a treat, but also can be a chore. I remember how much I enjoyed the break our short winter provided me the first time I experienced it. Also, our spring is so much more dramatic than the lazy, slow roll out we had in SD. Our temps get down to the mid to low 20s a few times per winter, so we're using greenhouse coverings, halogen lights and a small heater on the coldest nights.

I'm laughing at myself. On vacation, I'm missing my garden and wondering how my seedlings are looking after a week away :-)!!!!

feedinthefamily wrote:

Lindacol wrote:
Where abouts in southern California are you?

I'm in Fallbrook, very close to the 15 (not in town). There seems to be some confusion between web sites whether I'm in zone 9a or 9b. USDA zone says 10a. PlantMap says 9b.

Honestly, for planting certain flowers, trees and shrubs, it matters if you are in 9b or 10a or any of the Western Garden Guide sub-categories. But for veg gardening, which by its nature is a temporary 3 month window it does not matter except in a much broader way. For instance the list above would not work for New England, but it works for everywhere in So Cal that is not mountains and maybe the way out desert areas. Don't sweat the a's and b's in veg gardening.

So if you live anywhere in the area from San Bernardino to Santa Barbara to San Diego to El Centro and are under 3500 ft this is a pretty good rule of thumb guide.

I just planted my first SFG last week. I planted everything from seed. I am wondering if there are any vegitables that need to be started indoors or planted as seedlings? My logic tells that since we don't get frost (or very rarely) I should be able to pant just about anything from seed. Or is there more to it than that?

I planted (one or two varieties of each): tomotoes, beans, cucumbers, broccoli, lettuce, carrots, basil, peppers, cilantro, and also a couple squares of zinias. Can't wait for things to start sprouting.

Do you recommend any of those not be grown from seed?

Since we can garden year round I never plant except directly into the ground. The one exception is tomatoes. Those I usually buy plants but if you want plants in a few months, now would be a good time to start indoors.

I have some seeds started inside. Tomatoes, peppers, celery, chard, lettuce. We had a hard freeze a couple of weeks ago here in the Inland Empire but I have put a bunch of seeds directly in the garden.

Well I have a wall of things to plant and nothing wanting to grow.

I have stubs of two bell pepper plants cut back to stumps with new growth on them from November.  Leaving those in place and hoping they burst out when the weather warms and suns up.

I have about 4 carrots that sprouted out of two squares of dense planting.

I have one frankencelery.  I planted the stub after cutting off all the stalks from an organic purchase. It's leafing up nicely, hopefully it grows.  And I admit, a very inefficient way to turn one of my in short supply precious squares for six months into something I can buy for 69 cents.

The butternut squash finally went kaput.  I have about five spinach leaves trying to grow.  The green bean sprouts, the few that came up when mowed by the slugs.  Observing the beds this year, I noticed my problematic tress having grown several feet higher and seem to be significantly shading the beds more this winter.  

Anybody else having good luck?

 Almost sounds like winter gardening blahs??  My southern neighbor has 2 tall evergreen trees that have effectively shaded out 2 beds for most of the fall-spring.  How are you set for the expected rain?