Garden Pro-Tip January
Cultivating Diversity and Preparedness
The start of a new year is a time for gardeners to reflect, dream, and prepare for the upcoming growing season. In the Pacific Northwest, January provides the perfect window for planning, preserving, and planting. With the guidance of Eco-Restore, you can bring thoughtful, diverse, and sustainable practices to your garden. Here’s how to make the most of this season:
Preserving Seed Diversity
The Maritime Northwest is a haven for gardeners who cherish diversity. Heirloom seeds not only provide unique and beautiful varieties but also support local ecosystems and preserve essential genetic diversity.
Try Something New: Add color and creativity to your garden with heirloom varieties. Imagine purple carrots, blue potatoes, or red-speckled lettuce adding vibrancy to your plate!
Support Local Seeds: Opt for seeds from regional companies that prioritize open-pollinated and heirloom varieties suited to our climate. These seeds are often more vigorous and resilient than those bred elsewhere.
Celebrate Food Sovereignty: By choosing heirloom seeds, you join a movement to protect seed diversity and resist the monopolization of food sources by large corporations.
Eco-Restore can guide you in selecting heirloom seeds that match your garden’s microclimate and design a planting plan to maximize diversity and productivity.
Shade-Loving Vegetables
If your garden gets limited sunlight, embrace the opportunity to grow shade-tolerant vegetables. These resilient plants can thrive with just 4–6 hours of sunlight or dappled shade:
Ideal Picks: Kale, spinach, arugula, Alpine strawberries, and rhubarb are just a few that will flourish in low-light conditions.
Use Transplants: In cooler, shadier spots, starting with healthy transplants can improve success rates.
Eco-Restore specializes in microclimate analysis and can recommend crops to suit your garden’s unique conditions.
In the Kitchen: Winter Feasts from the Freezer
Winter is the season to enjoy the fruits (and greens) of your labor. Freezing kale, collards, or Swiss chard is an excellent way to preserve their nutrients and flavor. Here’s a quick freezing method:
Wash and stem the greens.
Boil leaves for 3 minutes and shock in ice water to stop cooking.
Drain, chop, and store in freezer-safe containers for up to one year.
Eco-Restore can help you design a garden that grows an abundance of these versatile greens and teach you how to preserve them for winter use.
Key Tasks for January
Assess Winter Plant Damage: Examine your garden for signs of damage from frost or storms. Prune back affected areas and mulch to protect roots.
Create a Site Map: Document existing plantings, sun exposure, and microclimates. This map will be a valuable tool for planning new beds or crop rotations.
Order Seeds: Now is the time to secure heirloom and bioregional seeds before popular varieties sell out.
Plan Garden and Crop Rotation: Map out planting areas to reduce pests and disease while improving soil health.
Sanitize Recycled Pots: Clean old containers with a mild bleach solution (1:10 ratio) to prevent the spread of disease.
Set Up a Propagation Area: Prepare a space with good light and consistent temperatures to start seedlings indoors.
Start Slow-Growing Seeds: January is perfect for sowing alliums like onions, leeks, and chives, as well as hardy flowers such as snapdragons and pansies.
Eco-Restore can assist with everything from seed selection and site mapping to crop rotation and propagation setup. Let us help you prepare for a bountiful growing season!
With each task, you’re taking steps to preserve biodiversity, support your local ecosystem, and ensure your garden’s success. Reach out to Eco-Restore for personalized advice and hands-on support. Let’s grow together this year!
