Speaker 1: Welcome to Gardening with Ben. You'll go to podcast for
all things green and growing in twenty twenty five. Whether
you're a seasoned gardener, a budding enthusiast, or just curious
about cultivating your own slice of nature, you're in the
right place. Join me Ben as we explore practical tips,
inspiring stories, and the latest trends in gardening to make
your outdoor space bloom with life. From a lotment adventures
to wildlife friendly gardening. I'm here to help you grow
your passion and read the rewards. So grab your gloves,
roll up your sleeves, and let's get started on this
year's gardening journey. Hey everyone, and welcome back to Gardening
with Ben for another brand new episode for twenty twenty five.
While I do enjoy doing this episode because I learned
something at the same time as you. And in today's episode,
we're going to be talking about all the things that
you can plant in January. Fingers crossed, you've got chance
to be able to plant them. If it's bad weather,
we'll have to wait until later. But most of these
things we can get started in January. Now I talk
about all the vegetables that we can plant this month.
All the fruit plants that we can plant this month,
and all the flowers that you can plant this month.
So if you've not got a pen and paper, feel
free to make some notes. Go and grab a notepad,
make some notes, and why not try growing some of
these things yourself, as most of these things I will
be growing as well down at the allotment. Now, the
first thing we talk about is the vegetables. What vegetables
can we plant this month? Obviously it all depends on weather,
on the weather, whether you can actually get down to
the allotment or in the garden to be able to
fulfill these jobs. And if I've seen the forecast right,
we are going to get some snow this weekend, so
possibly not. So. The first thing on the list is
broad beans. Now, broad beans can be sewn from the winter,
and these will be ready to harvest before the black
fly period, so you won't get uncovered in black fly
like you do in the summer. If you're growing through
the summer period, they will be ready to harvest before
they appear. Now, the variety that you would need to
plant our Aquadulc Claudia. These are a winter hardy variety
that can withstand the cold weather. You can have a
plant them straight in the ground or start sewing them
in pots for transplanting later. Onions sets and seeds. Onions
can be sewn from seed in January for late summer harvest.
This method allows for a wider variety of onions compared
to sets. Variety like Bedfordshire Champion are ideal for over wintering.
Start your seeds indoors in trays or modules and transplant
into the garden when the weather improves. Now, obviously, if
you're growing them indoors, make sure they get enough light
or they'll grow legate and you'll just have to chuck
my away and start them again. So make sure they
get plenty of light so that they grow nice and strong.
Next up is shalots. Like onions, shalots can be started
from seed in January. They produce smaller bulbs with a
sweeter flavor, perfect for roasting or adding to your stewe
so in seed trays indoors, ensuring that they have plenty
of light and warmth to germinate. That's the thing with
like obviously starting all the seeds at this time of year,
they need the warmth, So if you've not got a
heat of greenhouse. Your window sill inside will be pretty
full from everything. I've only got a small winter sell,
so I can't start many things off. I have to
wait until March to start a lot of my seeds off,
but we have got a few seeds growing at home already.
Next up is garlic. Garlic clothes can be planted outdoors
in January in well draining soil. Hardnet varieties like carcasson
white thrive when exposed to the cold weather. Plant individual
clothes with a pointed end facing upwards, spacing them about
ten to fifteen centimeter the part so that you can
weed in between them and keep them weed free to
help grow bigger bulbs. Next up is peas. Early varieties
like Metia can be cold tolerant and can be sown
in January for an early crop. These dwarf peas are
perfect for small spaces or container gardening. Now I won't
be starting any peas off this early. I usually start
mine offer around March April time, but obviously, like it says,
early varieties like Metia can be cold tolerant and can
withstand the cold weather, so in deep pots or guttering indoors,
and then transplant outdoors when the weather warms up. Leaks
are long seasoned crops, sowing in January and shows strong,
healthy plants ready for harvest in late summer to autumn.
Varieties like musclebird are hardy and reliable. Start seeds indoors
or in a heated greenhouse to protect them from the frost.
So if she wanted some nice big leaks to having
your stew or in soup, feel free to start your
seeds off now. Spinach winter varieties. Winter spinach for writers
like Giant Winter are hardy and can grow well in
colder conditions. Sewing now provides a crop of tender leaves
by early springtime. Sewing trays indoors or underclatures outdoors for
the protection from frost. Next up is lettuce winter varieties.
Hardy winter lettuces like winter Gem or Arctic King can
be sown in January for early spring harvests. These varieties
thrive in cooler temperatures. Start seeds in modules in doors
or in a cold frame. Cabbage spring varieties. Spring cabbages
such as Durham early and are ideal for sewing January
to harvest later in the year. They produce tender flavorful leaves,
so indoors, you know, in the greenhouse, then transplant seedlings
when they are large enough. Kale Kale varieties like neither
the Toscana or dwarf green curled are incredibly hardy and
can be started indoors in January for transplanting later sowing
seed trails or modules, and keep them in bright, cool place.
That's the thing. Like, like I said, a lot of
these are obviously needing the warmth and window sills to
be planted on. That's why I start a lot of
my stuff off in March, because I ain't got much
room to grow stuff on the window stuff. And a
lot of stuff does actually catch up when you start
stuff off at the end of March beginning of April.
In a greenhouse. Celery Celery is a slow growing crop
that benefits from an early start. Varieties like golden self
blanching are well suited for January sowing sow seeds in
trace indoors, covering lightly with compost, and keep in a warm,
bright place to germinate. Now, these are the things that
I have started. Chilies and sweet peppers, although not frost harded.
Chilies and sweet peppers need a long growing season, making
January the perfect time to start them indoors. Varieties like
Jalpino or bell Boy are popular choices. So seeds in
small pots indoors with a heated propagator or warm window
sill tomatoes now. I don't start my tomatoes off till
March time. Obviously you can get more of a crop
from a Michy startup now, but I don't start mine
off till March time. They soon catch up for an
early tomato crop. Sow seeds indoors in January. Early varieties
like Godner's Dight or Ali can to perform well in
greenhouse or undercover. Use a heated propagator to ensure good
germination and transplant seedlings into larger pots as they grow.
Radishes Radishes like French Breakfast are quick growing and can
be sewn indoors or undercovered in January for a rapid crop.
Sow Seeds in modules are directly in a call fin
keeping the soil moist for best results. So that is
all the vegetables that you can actually plant this month.
Like I said, a lot of them. I don't actually
start myself until March time. But if you want in
a headstart and you've got plenty of space or a
heat greenhouse, feel free to get started with growing some
of those produce. Next up are your fruit. What fruit
can be planted and grown at this time of year?
First up, strawberries, sweet and versatiles. Strawberries are perfect for
planting in January. Bare roots strawberry plants established quickly, leading
to a strong harvest in summer. Plant bere roots strawberries
in a well drained soil or containers much with straw
or fleece to protect them from frost. Now, I planted
two hundred strawberries, but planting them around October time, so
fingers crossed, they all taken and they'll all grow well.
Raspberries are low maintenance fruit, like fives in UK gardens.
January is ideal time for planting bear root canes, especially
autumn fruiting varieties. Choose a sunny location with well drained soil,
space canes forty five to sixty centimeters apart, and provide
with steaks or trellises. Now, if you are going to
be planted in raspberries, make sure you plant them somewhere
where you don't mind them getting invasive because roots grow
all over the place and they start popping up here
and there and everywhere. The worse than weeds can be raspberries.
So just make sure they're in a place that you
don't mind them growing really out of control. Blackberries, blackberries,
including famness rietis, are excellent for planting in January. They
grow bigger, slight, and provide abundant summer fruits. That is correct.
Now I have got a formless blackberries and wow, it
is absolutely amazing. Plant bear root blackberricanes in nutrient rich soil,
ideally against a wall or Trelley's for support. Gooseberries goosebries
are hard it bushes that thrive in cooler climates, producing
tart fruits perfect for desserts and preserves all your currents.
You're read white and black again. Now is the ideal
time for planting your fruit bushers, and that goes the
same for blueberries and any fruit bushes. Because it's good weather,
it's wet, it's damp. They'll take root and they can
concentrate on growing the roots at this time of year,
and then they will concentrate on growing the fruit in
the summertime. Rubib while ever it's dormant at this time
of year, it's perfect time to get it planted. And remember,
do not pick it in its first year. Leave it
to settle. However much rhubarb grows and it, don't be
tempted to pick it. It needs to concentrate on growing
the crown in the base, So pick it the year
after All your fruit trees, apples, pears, plubs, cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, quinters, figs, grapes,
mulberry's loganberry's keyway, all can be planted at this time
of year. Any fruit plant is the best time to
plant it at this time of year. If the grounds
rock hard, wait until it's a decent time when it's damp,
wet planting. As I say, now is the perfect time
to plant your fruit. Don't plant fruit in summer because
it needs to concentrate on growing the roots while the
tree is dormant, and then it can concentrate on growing
the fruit in the summertime. Flowers, what flowers can be
planted at this time of year. Now, these are the
ones that I'm going to be listening to because I'm
going to be trying so many flowers this year. And yes,
I love my flowers. Now, sweet peas known for fragrant
blooms and wide range of color. Sweet peas are a
classic choice for UK gardens sowing in January. It gives
them a head start for summer flowering. Sow seeds in
pots indoors or in a unheated greenhouse use deep pots
to accommodate their long roots. Now I've got absolutely loads
of sweet peas growing, and I'm going to be ordering
a load more delphiniums. These tall, striking flowers are ideal
for back borders, producing dramatic spikes of blue, purple, and
white blooms. Sow seeds indoors in seed trays provide a
bright cool spot to encourage germination. Loopings are popular for
the tall, colorful flower spikes and their ability to attract pollinators.
So seeds indoors in pots, soaking them in water overnight
to speed up germination. Now I've got a lot of
loopings growing as well, so I'm looking forward to all
them growing. Dahlias now I need to start trying some
daily as have never grown dahlias. Dahlias are a gardener's
favorite for the ball shoy blue in a variety of
shapes and colors. January is perfect for starting tubers in doors. Hollyhocks.
Hollyhocks add cotton cottage garden charm with their tall spikes
of color saucer shaped flowers, so seating doors in seed
trays using compost rich so I'll place them in a warm,
sunny spot. Equallegias have got plenty of those growing, and
now it is again the perfect time to grow them.
Fox gloves, pogonias, snap dragons, cosmos, petunias are all perfect
for starting now. Next up is geraniums now. I absolutely
love geraniums, and I'm going to be growing a loadmark
again this year, and obviously starting them off now means
that they'll flower earlier, but obviously it needs somewhere warm
for them to germinate, so I probably won't be able
to start mine off till March because I've not got
room at home to start them off at home. So
geraniums are a staple of you gardens, producing colorful blooms,
perfect for pots and borders and hanging baskets. So and
as well with geraniums is that at the end of
the year, before the frost comes, dig them up, move
them to somewhere warm like a greenhouse or polytunnel, keep
on watered in pots and then you can replant them
again next year and they'll flower the year after. Marrigols,
colundular nasturtians, carnations are all perfect to be planted at
this time of year. Aliums now have got absolutely loads
of aliums in a planted a load to alium bulbs,
so I'm looking forward to them. And aliums will attract
the bees. The bees absolutely love aliums, So if you
wanted to attract the bees to your garden, have a
look around and see if you can still get some alliums.
It might be a bit too late to be able
to purchase them, but you might be able to purchase
them online. To have a look around. And zinnias. Zinnias
are heat loving flower with bold, vibrant blooms that last
throughout the summer. So seats in doors, in trades with
compost and keep in a warm, bright area. So that
is all the flowers that can be planted at this
time of year. If you can hear banging, it's a
firework in the background. But yeah, that is all the
flowers that you can plant this moth So there's plenty
to be sewing, and like I said, I won't be
sawing many of them. I'll be holding off till March
April time till I can sew them in my greenhouse
which is unheated, so I'll hopefully sometimes we get a
little heat wave in March April time which tends to
start the seeds off and then they seem to look
after themselves and then we plant them out when the
frost has gone after maytime outside. So make sure you
stay tuned for what I'm growing. Feel free to follow
my Instagram and my Facebook. I'm a YouTube channel where
I shout my videos. Like I said, the only seeds
that I've started off this week are my peppers, my chillis,
and my onion. That's the seed that I've started off
so far. I'm going to be starting small gene off
as well, which we're actually on that list. But I'm
going to be starting some ubergine off as well this week,
so stay tuned for that. So tomorrow's episode, we'll be
talking about all the jobs which need doing in the
garden and the allotment in January, so stay tuned for
that episode. If you're new to this podcast, make sure
you give us a follow and feel free to keep
up today. So until tomorrow's episode, everyone, remember, keep smiling,
keep shining. Thanks for tuning into today's episode of Gardening
with Ben. I hope you've enjoyed our chat and picked
up some tips to help your garden and allotment thrive.
Don't forget to stay connected with me on all social
media for even more gardening inspiration, updates and behind the
scenes content. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
Just search Gardening with Ben, hit that follow button or
subscribe button and join our growing community of garden lovers.
Until next time, everyone, remember keep smiling, keep shining, and
keep gardening with Ben.