In the January garden
? Check with local retail garden or nursery stores for seeds and seed catalogs and begin planning this year’s vegetable garden.
? Have soil test performed on garden plot to determine nutrient needs. Contact your local Extension office for a list of laboratories or view EM 8677 at extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/.
? Use dormant sprays of lime sulfur or copper fungicide on roses for general disease control, or plan to replace susceptible varieties with resistant cultivars in February.
? Take hardwood cuttings of deciduous ornamental shrubs and trees for propagation.
? Clean pruners and other small garden tools with rubbing alcohol.
? Reapply or redistribute mulches that have blown or washed away during winter.
? Do not walk on lawns until frost has melted.
? Moss in lawn may mean too much shade or poor drainage. Modify site conditions if moss is bothersome.
? Gather branches of quince, forsythia and flowering cherries; bring indoors to force early bloom.
? Monitor houseplants for correct water and fertilizer; guard against insect infestations; clean dust from leaves.
? Protect sensitive plants such as weeping figs from cold drafts in the house.