Winter Gives Gardeners a Perfect Opportunity to Prepare for Spring

Winter Gives Gardeners a Perfect Opportunity to Prepare for Spring

Constant rain is rare during January in Southern California, which means there are plenty of sunny days to work in the garden and prepare for a successful spring growing season, say experts at Agromin, an Oxnard-based manufacturer of earth-friendly soil products made from organic material from more than 50 Southern California communities.

Plant Dormant Fruit and Rose Trees: Local nurseries have an assortment of well-priced bare root fruit trees and roses in stock: apricot, plum, apple, pear and peach trees, and varieties of rose bushes. Bare-root means just that--no soil is needed around the roots. Winter is the time to plant these dormant trees so they bloom in spring. Be sure to add organic compost planting mix to the soil to increase soil aeration and a layer of mulch to keep in moisture.

Prune Trees: January is a good time to prune dormant trees. Pruning while a tree is dormant reduces the chance of disease. Remove dead or unhealthy branches, branches at the base of the tree or other small "runners" and limbs that could cause safety issues. Do not prune large branches or those at the top of trees as this can cause tree stress and impede growth. Pruned trees will produce fuller flowers and larger fruit in spring.

Plant Winter Vegetables: Plant winter vegetables including artichokes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, peas, potatoes spinach and strawberries for spring and early summer harvest.

Rake Leaves: Rake fallen leaves from lawns so grass can soak up winter sun and properly dry in between winter rains.

Plant Summer-Blooming Bulbs: January is the time to plant summer-blooming bulbs. Nurseries will have good assortment in stock. These bulbs include dahlia, gladiolus, hippeastrum, laitris, lilies, nerine and tuberous begonias.

Care for Living Christmas Trees: Only keep living Christmas trees indoors for two weeks. Once the holidays are over, the trees should be brought outside and transplanted into the ground. Trees can easily grow 50 feet or higher so select their permanent outdoor location with care.

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