Water and mow less, plant winter flowers and veggies | Sally Scalera
Winter is here with its cold temperatures, and hopefully, we won’t experience a freeze.
With the arrival of 2024 tomorrow, I want to let you know about an upcoming Master Gardener Class for working residents, the free Florida-Friendly Landscaping Seminar that will be held in March, a class scheduled to begin in April, and activities to do in the yard this month.
Weekend Master Gardner class. If you missed the article, the first Master Gardener Class for working residents will be held next year on 11 Saturdays, beginning on Jan. 27 and ending on May 11. The class costs $250 and will be meet from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 27; Feb. 10, 17 and 24; March 2, 9 and 30; April 6, 20 and 27; and May 11. Only two classes out of the eleven can be missed to graduate. Volunteer opportunities are available for working residents to fulfill the 75 volunteer hours required the year they attend the class. Every year after, only 35 hours are required to remain an active Master Gardener. If you would like an application for the Saturday Master Gardener Class of 2024, contact the Master Gardeners at brevard-mg1@ifas.ufl.edu. After we receive your completed application, you will be contacted by a Master Gardener to set up an interview so you can learn more about the program and ask any questions you may have.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping seminar. Mark your calendar for the Florida-Friendly Landscaping Seminar, which will be Saturday, March 23, at the Melbourne Auditorium on Hibiscus Ave. The event begin at 9 a.m. and ends around 1 p.m.. I will let you know the four presentations that will be offered that day, so stay tuned.
Florida-Friendly Landscaping class series. The Florida-Friendly Landscaping class series is scheduled to begin April 2, and will be held every Tuesday, except April 9, through May 21. Classes meet from 9 am until noon. Two topics will be covered each day, and the class cost is $90, which covers the notebook and additional printed material. Check out the Eventbrite page 2024FFLclasSseries.eventbrite.com to see the topics that will be covered. Zoom tickets are available even if you don’t live in Brevard County. If you are new to gardening in Florida or want better results from your gardening efforts, this class is for you.
For some ideas of activities that you can do outside this month, here are some suggestions:
Water and mow less. The shorter days of winter cause turf to stop actively growing, so watering and mowing won’t be required very often, maybe just every 10 days to two weeks. When water is applied, lawns should be watered deeply, with approximately ½ - ¾ inches of water. If your irrigation is watering more than once a week, change it to once weekly to follow the St. John’s River Water Management District’s watering restrictions. For more information on the watering restrictions, check out this website: sjrwmd.com/wateringrestrictions.
Get your soil tested. If you plan on fertilizing your yard this spring, send in a soil sample this month so you will know what nutrients need to be applied and how much. The soil testing form is available at edis.ifas.ufl.edu (search for "landscape soil test form", and it comes with directions on how to collect a soil sample. Be sure to pay for the $10 Test B, which measures the soil pH and the water-soluble nutrient levels for phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese and zinc. If the fertilizer recommendation calls for phosphorus application, skip that and inoculate your lawn, trees and shrubs with mycorrhizae. Your plants will grow better, and the presence of the soil food web can create healthy soil that will protect water quality.
Flowers for winter. Some flowers that enjoy cooler temperatures include alyssum, dianthus, pansy, viola, petunia, calendula, phlox, stock, flowering kale and snapdragons.
In case of a freeze. To protect tender plants from a freeze, cover them with a blanket or quilt and weigh the edges down if windy weather is in the forecast. If using a plastic tarp to cover the plants, don’t allow the plastic to touch the foliage or cold damage will occur.
Herbs for January. Herbs for January planting include chives, chervil (a winter annual), oregano, cilantro, fennel, mint, parsley, lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme.
Time to prune. If needed, prune deciduous plants while they are dormant, including all dead and diseased wood. For detailed information on pruning the various deciduous fruit trees, shrubs, and vines, visit our Fruitscape website at trec.ifas.ufl.edu/fruitscapes.
Spray your vegetables. If you’re growing your own vegetables and fruit trees, be sure to spray them weekly with a liquid seaweed or kelp solution (i.e., Maxicrop, Liquid Kelp, etc.). Use a hand pump-up sprayer to apply a fine mist on both sides of the foliage. The plant will translocate the trace elements all throughout the plant, even if you can’t reach all the foliage. This is a great way to get trace elements into plants growing in soil with a high pH. To receive a copy of my recommendations for growing fruit trees and other edible plants, email the Master Gardeners at brevard-mg1@ifas.ufl.edu.
Vegetables to plant. Vegetables that can be planted in January include arugula, beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions-bunching (green and shallots), peas (English & snow), peppers, potato-Irish, radish, spinach, squash, sweet corn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, and watermelon.
Vegetables to sow. This is the month to sow arugula, beans, beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumber, eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, okra, peas (English, snow, Southern), peppers, spinach, squash, sweet corn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips and watermelon seeds for planting in February.
Inoculate your peas and beans. If you are planting peas or beans, be sure to get a pea and bean inoculant containing the correct beneficial bacteria so the plants can fix atmospheric nitrogen in their roots.
Plant carrots and radishes together. To save space when sowing carrots and radishes in the garden, sow them in the same row because carrots are slower to germinate. The radishes will be harvested before the carrots need space. Also, cover the seeds with some vermiculite to help mark the row.
Fresh produce this month. Check out the fresh produce that will be available at the Brevard County Farmers Market from 3-6 p.m. Thursdays at the Wickham Park Pavilion. Follow the Facebook page at facebook.com/BrevardDiscoveryGarden for the most up-to-date information on the produce and other products that will be available each month.
Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences. Email her at sasc@ufl.edu.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: What flowers to plant and other things to do in your yard in January
