There’s not a whole lot going on in the vegetable garden in January. Usually the coldest month of the year, it’s not the best time to start planting vegetables. There are, however, some vegetables that you can get started and even grow in January that will provide you with a mid-late Spring harvest. What vegetables to plant in January in your garden depends very much on whether you’re growing outdoors, whether you have access to a greenhouse or polytunnel and if you have a few warm sunny windowsills in the house that you can utilize.
January in the vegetable garden is also a great time to get organized and plan what you’ll grow throughout the year, organize your space, clean your equipment and get your motivation for vegetable growing up.
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What Vegetables to Plant in January
While January isn’t the best time of year in the UK to be planting vegetables, (that would be Spring or Autumn) there are still several vegetables you can sow and get started. We’ll start with growing vegetables on windowsills inside, you need little space, little equipment but these super easy starters of veg to plant in January will give you great motivation for growing more!
Let’s face it, the weather isn’t usually that great in January and planting January vegetables can be a bit miserable and the vegetables to sow in January do rather depend on both the weather and whether you have any inside or covered spaces. So I’ll split this guide on what to plant in January into veggies to plant in January outside and what veg to plant in January inside – and that doesn’t always mean running into the greenhouse in January, some great vegetables can be grown on windowsills too.
Vegetables to Plant in January Outside
There are several seeds to sow in January and January planting vegetables – but when planting in January – as with any other month, you always have to take care and check the weather and the forecast too.
Plant Rhubarb Crowns in January
Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but can’t be harvested until its second year, so you’re best buying a Rhubarb crown (a year old plant) and planting that. Rhubarb crowns are best planted in the spring and autumn months, but you can also plant a dormant crown now. Pick up a rhubarb crown and get started now – or read more about growing rhubarb in our guide here.
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You can preorder these Rhubarb Crowns to be delivered during planting season. They’re a great selection and this is the fastest way to grown rhubarb.
In a mild winter – sow these vegetables towards the middle or end of January
If the weather is forecast for a mild winter, then you can get a head start on some of the vegetables that you’d traditionally plant during February, these include beetroot, cabbage, carrots, garlic, onions, potatoes and spinach.
These veg are particularly good for early-season planting.
- Great beetroot seeds for January planting
- Get these onion sets planted in a mild January
- This garlic plants well early season
If you’re successful then you’ll end up with an early harvest – we recommend succession sowing throughout the planting season to ensure a regular supply of your favourite vegetables. You’ll also have more success if you’re able to offer them some protection – say a clear cold frame, or a mini greenhouse or polytunnel. You’ll want to have a decent pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands from the elements in January – here’s our guide to the best gloves for gardening in all seasons.
Vegetables to Plant in January Inside – Greenhouse / Larger Space
If you’re lucky enough to have a greenhouse or a polytunnel, then you can get a head start on the vegetable growing year and get some seeds sown. If you’re thinking of adding a greenhouse to your yard or garden, then they don’t need to be either big or expensive – I wrote about the best mini-greenhouses here.
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This mini greenhouse is small, compact and easy to put up and store in the winter. It’s not expensive and its reasonably robust.
Sow Broad Beans in January under a cloche, cold frame or in a greenhouse
When it comes to what veg to sow in January, it’s a shortlist, however, if you’re in an area of the country where the weather is mild then you can sow broad beans in January. They’ll need the protection of a cold frame or greenhouse, even in a mild area at least for the first few weeks. This is the best buy mini greenhouse from our guide on greenhouses. If you are planning on growing broad beans in greenhouses then you’ll need to ensure they have PLENTY of space, it’s much better to start them off inside and then transplant them outside when the weather (and its prospects) are better).
Grow Early Potatoes in Bags Under Cover
We’ve been a big proponent of growing potatoes in bags for a long time. One of our favourites for an early crop is Charlotte potatoes – we start by chitting them (sprouting) early potatoes by standing them in an old egg box on their end on the window sill of the porch. Our full guide on how to grow potatoes in bags is here.
Once they’ve sprouted then they go into the potato grow bags in the mini greenhouse in the back yard.
Sow the following vegetable seeds indoors during January
During January and February, our house tends to look more like a greenhouse. Every available windowsill is taken. The front porch also gets taken over and that’s even with the mini greenhouse in the backyard. Sowing spinach and lettuces for early green harvest is what tends to take over.
These seeds are excellent to get an early-season indoor planting
- Sow early season Spinach indoors > these are great
- Sow lettuce indoors for an early start in January > try these seeds
We sow them inside to give them a head start so that once the threat of the really bad weather goes we can transplant them outside and wait, mouth-watering, for an early harvest of fresh greens!
Top Pick of Rocket, Lettuce and Salad Leaf Seeds to Grow
Vegetables to Grow inside in January – Window Sills or Small Spaces
The following vegetables are fabulous for very small spaces – I’m talking window sills or cubby holes and they’ll brighten up your January too!
Plant Chili Peppers in January
I’ll start with perhaps some of the easiest vegetables to grow in January. We try and start at least one chilli pepper plant (we use them in lots of cooking and end up preserving our ripe chillies for future use) in November, December, January and February.
Healthy chilli peppers on a windowsill don’t need much encouragement to grow, just a little warmth and as much sunshine as the time of year is going to give them. Oh, and water, don’t forget to water them! You can sow chilis at any time of year, but during the winter months, they’re going to need the warmth of being inside.
They don’t need much space. Find a small pot or container, fill 2/3 with good compost (here are our recommendations of good compost for growing vegetables), sprinkle a few seeds in, cover with compost, water until the compost is moist and sit back and wait. Your chilli seeds should start to germinate in 7-10 days.
Alternatively, why not look at a chilli pepper growing kit which comes with everything that you need.
Top Chilli Growing Seed Packs
Grow Mushrooms In January
Once you’ve grown your first lot of mushrooms you’ll be sold on the idea – mushroom growing kits are the easiest way to grow your own mushrooms. It drives me nuts that when I buy mushrooms from the supermarket that I have to use that day for them to still be good and fresh. Growing my own mushrooms means that I get to harvest pretty much when I want and regularly. My favourite variety is the plain white mushrooms, but I must admit I’m being won over to oyster mushrooms too! These are our favourite kits for mushroom growing if you’re a beginner.
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This excellent Mushroom Growing kit from the folks at Merryhill Mushrooms is the perfect starter mushroom growing kit and it’s so easy to get started with full instructions
What Vegetables to Harvest in January
January sees us harvesting more of the leeks, which we leave in the ground until we’re ready to use them. Leeks are pretty hardy and survive most frost and snow.
January is also another month for us when we’ve harvested fresh mushrooms – we keep a steady supply by using mushroom growing kits and growing them indoors.
What Jobs to do in the Garden in January
I confess, my favourite job in the vegetable garden in January is to stay indoors! That works so long as we’ve sorted out the ground, cleaned all the pots and containers and tools in earlier months of course! And when I say that I’m not keen on the outdoor work of course that doesn’t include sorting out a few broad beans in the greenhouse, managing the germinating seeds on the window sills and watching my chilli pepper plants growing too.
All our monthly vegetable planting guides
- What vegetables to plant in January
- What vegetables to plant in February
- What vegetables to plant in March
- What vegetables to plant in April
- What vegetables to plant in May
- What vegetables to plant in June
- What vegetables to plant in July
- What vegetables to plant in August
- What vegetables to plant in September
- What vegetables to plant in October
- What vegetables to plant in November
- What vegetables to plant in December
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Final words on Veg to Plant in January
Well, that’s it for our January vegetable planting guide. I think what I like best about January in the vegetable garden is the promise of what’s to come. We start a few seeds on windowsills – ok, so we start a lot on windowsills – there are potatoes on the go on windowsills and then in the greenhouse and we’re still harvesting leeks from the garden. January is also the time for us to plan what’s going to be grown in the rest of the garden throughout the year and that’s exciting and interesting too. Mostly, we’re chomping at the bit for the weather to turn a little warmer so we can get started fully!
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