Mountain checklist: what to do in your garden in January - includes related article on how to plant a straight row

Sunset, Jan, 1999

WHAT TO DO IN YOUR GARDEN IN JANUARY

PLANTING

* ORDER SEEDS. Seed dealers who specialize in plants for high-elevation gardens are listed in the story beginning on page 52. Early orders are most likely to be filled quickly and with no substitutions. To calculate when to start seeds indoors, find out the average date of the last frost in your area, then count backward about five weeks.

* HARDY PERENNIALS. In milder parts of the intermountain West, start perennials such as delphinium, hellebore, pansy, primula, veronica, and viola in a coldframe or greenhouse for transplanting when at least two sets of true leaves appear. In the coldest areas, transplant when the soil can be worked.

MAINTENANCE

* CARE FOR LIVING CHRISTMAS TREES. Move them outside to a place that's protected from hard freezing and from midday and afternoon sun. A cool, bright porch is ideal, but a spot on the patio or under a large tree can work well, too, if outside temperatures aren't so low that the tree's rootball will freeze. If it's too cold, sink the rootball into the ground, container and all, and cover it with mulch. After two weeks in a shaded location, move the tree into full sun. Water whenever the top 2 inches of soil are dry.

* CHECK STORED BULBS, PRODUCE. Look over any tender bulbs, corms, tubers, and produce you have stored away to check for shriveling and rot. You can usually rehydrate shriveled bulbs by sprinkling them with water. Remove anything that shows signs of decay. Dahlia tubers are the exception: cut out the bad spots, dust tubers with sulfur, and store separately.

* FERTILIZE ASPARAGUS. After the ground thaws, top-dress asparagus with rotted manure or organic mulch mixed with a complete fertilizer.

* TEND HOUSE PLANTS. During the winter, low humidity combined with indoor heat can cause plants to dry out quickly. Check soil often, and water when the top 1/2-inch has dried out. Also, inspect plants regularly for aphids, scale insects, spider mites, and mealybugs. Sometimes the first sign is sticky honeydew on pot rims and leaves; it's exuded by feeding insects. Rinse infested plants with lukewarm water from the shower, then spray with insecticidal soap to kill the insects and wash off the honeydew.

* TUNE UP TOOLS. Sharpen shovels and hoes, rub down wood handles with linseed oil, and replace or hone dull blades on pruning shears and knives. Now is also a good time to order new tools for spring work.

* PRUNE TREES, SHRUBS. In the mildest parts of the intermountain West, you can prune when daytime temperatures are well above freezing. Cut out dead, diseased, crossing, and closely parallel branches first, then prune for shape.

BACK TO BASICS

How to plant a straight row

* To plant seeds or seedlings in straight rows, follow one of the two techniques pictured here. Use them when planting lettuce, peas, or other winter-spring crops. 1. Insert stakes at both ends of the bed, making sure they align. Tie a piece of string to one stake, stretch it to the other, and tie it, keeping it taut. Plant beneath it. 2. Cut a 1-by-2 board to the desired length of the row, place it on the soil surface, then plant along its edge.