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It’s way too soon to think planting and even a tad early for most indoor seed-starting, but there’s still plenty for gardeners to do in mid-winter to get a jump on the season.
Consider these 10:
1.) Think about changes for 2025. While the 2024 growing season is still fairly fresh in your mind, think about changes you’d like to make in the landscape this season.
January and February are good months to plan, design, surf for ideas, and do your best-plant homework. You’ll be ready to hit the ground running in April.
2.) Hire any pros. If you’re planning to hire a pro to help with design and/or installation, now’s a good time to make your contacts. At least get on the calendar.
If you wait to call in April or May like everybody else, you may have to wait weeks or months. You may even get better bid prices now as the early bird.
Mowing companies sometimes fill up their schedule if you dawdle too long.
3.) Get those seeds. Seed vendors sometimes sell out of choice varieties come March and April when the biggest wave of seed-buying occurs. Decide what you want to start from seed (both indoors and out), and get those orders in ASAP.
Start by going over your leftover seeds from 2024 to determine what’s still viable. Most seeds are good for two years or more if stored in a cool, dry place.
Then shop around for who has the most of your wish-list varieties at the best prices, including shipping charges.
With seed in hand, you can start some of the earliest plants inside in late January.
A good source for ratings of seed companies (and other garden vendors) is the Dave’s Garden “Garden Watchdog” site.
- Read more of George’s seed-buying tips
4.) Get your 2025 supplies. Check your supply of fertilizer, potting mix, stakes, sprays, pots, wire cages, garden twine, and whatever else you regularly use.
Make a list of items you need, and ideally get them all in one trip – before spring arrives, not in 14 separate trips in April and May as you go for each item.
Check the dates on your pesticide containers and safely dispose of any that are beyond their useful life.
5.) Place special orders. New and top varieties of trees, shrubs, and perennials also often sell out early at garden centers come spring – if they even carry what you want in the first place.
Increase your odds of getting “the good stuff” by calling or stopping by your favorite local plant haunts to see if: 1.) they plan to carry the plants you want, and 2.) if they’re willing to set aside said plants in your name when they arrive from growers.
Sometimes garden centers will even special-order plants for customers at no extra charge.
While you’re at garden centers, check out the seed racks to see if they’re stocked with seed varieties you want. If so, you’ll cut out shipping costs.
6.) Clean and ready the tools. Winter is a good time to clean and sharpen the garden tools. Good maintenance maximizes their life span and keeps them in good working order.
Four specifics: 1.) Use a wire brush or steel wool to remove any accumulated dirt and grime; 2.) Kill any over-wintering pathogens by dipping tools in or wiping them off with a disinfecting solution, such as Lysol or Pine-Sol; 3.) Use a bench grinder, sharpening stone, and/or file to carve sharp edges into your shovels, edging tools, pruners, loppers, garden knives, and even hand trowels; and 4.) Discourage rust by applying a thin layer of machine oil or mineral oil over blades and other metal parts.
If any tools are in really bad shape, this is a good time to buy new ones before garden centers get crowded with plant buyers.
7.) Get your power equipment ready. Drain left-over gas out of your lawn mower, tiller, weed-whacker, and any other gas-powered garden tools so it’s not gunking up over winter. At least add a drying agent to the gas.
Change oil, clean/replace spark plugs, clean off dirt, sharpen blades, and otherwise get the equipment ready to go for spring when you’ll have a lot of other things to deal with.
If anything needs professional servicing, now’s a good time to do that, too, so you beat the early spring rush.
8.) Scout the houseplants. Regularly check your houseplants for early signs of bugs or other trouble. The sooner you catch problems, the easier they are to solve.
Signs to look for: a shiny, sticky coating on the leaves; new foliage that is twisted or discolored; fine webbing on the stems; pale or speckled leaves; leaves that are turning yellow; stems that are discolored near the soil line, and a gray or white coating on the foliage.
Also, clean your windows (at least the ones where you’re growing houseplants). Dust and grime cut down a surprising amount of light.
- Read more on how to diagnose and solve houseplant problems
9.) Organize the plant labels. Re-do lost or fading plant labels, and add ones for new plants that you planted last season and didn’t mark.
Save money by making your own homemade labels out of cut-up vinyl blinds or bleach/detergent bottles. Use a China marker or wax pencil for the wording.
10.) Observe what’s happening outside. Winter is an excellent time to assess your yard’s microclimates – those little pockets that are warmer, colder, windier, or otherwise distinct enough from the yard as a whole to make a difference in plant performance.
Examples: it may be several degrees warmer along a heat-absorbing south- or west-facing masonry wall; spots where the snow melts first tell you your sunniest spots, and spots where snow piles up show you wind conditions and direction.
Min/max thermometers can help determine temperature differences, or you could do spot checks with those infrared thermometers that came into vogue during the COVID-19 pandemic.
