Prescott Garden Keeping - January Edition

After working with a client to design and create a stunning garden or landscape, I check in often.  More often initially, and then a bit less frequently through the first year.  

The success of a landscape is really mostly about a fantastic design, and then the ongoing maintenance of it over the long haul.  While the installation is often the most exciting step in the process, it's not going to be successful unless it's cared for properly every month and for the years to come (and well designed in the first place).

We don't do garden maintenance at The Whiskey Porch, but I wanted to put together a series of garden keeping checklists to help keep you on track.  Whether you are going to do it all yourself, or bring in a maintenance crew to do much of it for you, these monthly guides should be useful to you if you live in and around Prescott, AZ.
​

During this "dormant" season, don't be fooled into thinking that there's nothing going on in the garden over the winter!  In fact, while the pace slows down significantly, this is often the best time to build the basis for a hugely successful and healthy landscape in the coming season.  Plus, spreading out the work over several months makes it a bit less taxing on you.

All of these checklists are very specific to the micro-climate that I am in here in downtown Prescott.  So, there will be slight variations for you depending on your specific location, as well as what you grow.  Generally speaking, these lists will relate to USDA Zone 7b.  

Each year can bring a slightly different cycle to the seasons.  Sometimes we have our first hard freeze in late October, but most often not until early December.  Keep this in mind when planning your monthly tasks.

These checklists apply generally to a landscape garden which includes primarily perennials, as well as veggies and herbs.  

​Let's get to it.

​PLANTS & PLANTING  🌱

• Plan out your flower, herb, and veggie gardens - consider rotations, new companion plantings, and create a layout sketch
• Start your cool season seeds at the end of the month - lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, etc
• Begin to cold stratify any seeds that require this treatment 

​WATER  💦

• Continue to water every 2 weeks if there is no rain or snow

​CRITTERS 🦌

• Re-apply deer repellent to succulents and around bird feeder
• ​Remember to fill those bird feeders and provide fresh clean water 

​MAINTENANCE  ✂️

• Order compost (or filter your own) and top off your raised beds and borders
• Prepare your beds for cool season veggies like cabbage and lettuce
• Organize your seed starting supplies - check that lights and heat pads are in good order, clean trays
• Sort through your potting shed, get it organized, clean and sharpen tools, and maybe order anything new that you'll need come spring
• Dig holes for new shrubs and trees that you will be planting in the spring
• Prune fruit trees/shrubs/vines and spray with lime sulfur and/or dormant oil spray - in particular those that have pest issues during the growing season
• Note:  be careful not to prune any spring bloomers until after they've bloomed
• Give your indoor plants a little extra love and attention during this slower time​​

​OTHER  📝

• Finish making permanent plant labels for your perennials
  
• Review all those seed and plant catalogs you ordered and place your orders (if you wait too long, the more unusual items often are sold out)

​GARDEN KEEPING JOURNAL ☑️

Find all the other monthly checklists (as they are published each month this first year) here:

Monthly Checklists

---

Looking for more garden & landscape inspiration?

You can find lots more good stuff and inspiration on our Garden Resources page if you'd like to start dreaming about next season!

Cottage Garden Resources

There it is - thanks so much for reading.  I will plan to put up a new Garden Keeping check list for each month, and then update them over time.  Let me know if have any other items you typically do annually in January - I'd love to hear!

Peace  & Contentment,
~Miriam