January in the Makkelijke Moestuin

It is the middle of winter. You cannot sow yet, but this is the perfect time to plan your garden and gather your materials. And if you set up your garden now, you will be ready for the coming season:

Jump to: Getting started | Already growing | What to sow now

You can start a Makkelijke Moestuin at almost any time of year. Even in January, although it might not seem the most obvious time, since you cannot sow or plant anything.

The big advantage of setting up your garden now is that you can start extra early, and you will be ready for the years ahead too.

Want to know more?

Read how it works.

Already growing? Your raised beds will probably be almost empty now.

Any winter vegetables that are still there can cope well with the cold. You can leave them in place and even harvest from them now and then. They will not grow much for a while, though: that starts again in spring.

January is also a good month to make plans for spring.

1. Harvest whatever you can.

2. Empty your buckets and watering cans so they do not crack when it freezes.

3. Remember the birds during hard frosts: put out some seeds and a shallow bowl of water.

4. Protect your winter vegetables from cold, harsh weather. Horticultural fleece or a crop cover is ideal:

Nothing. Even if the weather is mild, the days are too short and the temperature is too low. Seeds have a kind of built-in clock. At this time of year, they stay asleep. 🙂

That was January in a nutshell. For the vegetable garden, it is usually the coldest month of the year. Apart from protecting plants from hard frosts, there is not much to do. But if you would like some inspiration for the coming months, I have a few more interesting posts for you: