A Wild Child Garden in January

January is such an exciting month in the garden.  While January is very much part of the cool season garden. Most of us are harvesting broccoli, cauliflower, and I hope you all had that New Year cabbage on your table this year!  January also gives us glimpse of the Spring!  January is the month that we start dreaming of spring.  It may see so far off now, but it is truly right around the corner!  We can't jump fully into the warm season garden yet, but we sure can start dreaming! 

What I’m Planting

Cooler temps have been here for a while now and those vegetables that thrive in this weather are really taking off!  Our spinach has sprouted, we are harvesting radishes every day, and can we just talk about the lettuce??  If you still haven't planted lettuce and spinach,  stop what you are doing right now and go sprinkle some seeds in your garden.  I'll wait!   We are eating salad with every meal at my house!  You can be too!

In January we have one more chance to plant a succession of root vegetables, and you better believe I will take that opportunity to fill empty holes with radishes in my garden. These guys are a great thing to plant in the month of January since some of them only take 20-30 days to mature! One of my favorite varieties is the 'French Breakfast' radish, and I'm sure you will love it too! 

 To learn all that you can plant this month, download my January planting guide here.

Tulips

The most important thing to plant this month (for me) is TULIPS!  Way back in November you might have heard me nagging about buying your tulips and putting them in the fridge, I know I seemed bossy at the time, but now is your time to shine if you listened! 

Tulips require a significant number of chill hours so if you didn't get those tulips in the fridge in November, I would hold off running out to the store to grab a bag. But if you have them waiting in your fridge, get those tulips in the ground.  I suggest tucking these bulbs in window boxes or containers that are sitting around empty!  I promise you won't be disappointed! 

If you didn't get tulips in the fridge in November, you can still plant daffodils! January is a great month to get those in the ground too.  They don't have to be pre-chilled, and you won't be disappointed!  They are so simple and beautiful!  So just plant them!  This year I am planning to try daffodils lining my chicken coop!  Remember these beautiful bulbs don't have to be dug up when they are finished blooming.  They can stay right where they are and will continue to come up year after year!  Have you ever been driving along and noticed a spot of daffodils in a seemingly random location.  Those in fact are not random at all, and years ago that was likely someone's homestead!  They planted those daffodils then, and they keep coming back year after year, reminding us that spring is coming!  They are a wild child staple! 

December might have been soup season but we are making gumbo in January. And you have to try GREEN GUMBO! 

If you are anything like me, you are harvesting baskets of greens and might be getting tired of the traditional recipes.  January is officially gumbo season at my house, and while I love a good Louisiana gumbo just like the next person, if you are looking for something a little bit different, you have to try this passed down recipe of Green Gumbo that one of our AMAZING garden club members shared with us! 

 Of course, I love a recipe with good story and this one has one.  Leah Chase, the legendary New Orleans chef known as the “Queen of Creole Cuisine,” popularized a unique and deeply symbolic dish called gumbo z’herbes, or “green gumbo,” and wild child gardener Melinda Partin has made it a wild child staple inside of our community. Traditionally served during Lent or Holy Thursday, this dish is rooted in tradition and celebrates renewal, community, and abundance.

The gumbo is made with a mix of leafy greens, such as collard greens, mustard greens, kale, and spinach—sometimes up to nine different kinds. According to tradition, the number of greens represents the number of new friends you’ll make in the coming year. Leah Chase often included smoked meats like sausage, ham, and tasso in her recipe, blending her Catholic faith and Creole culinary heritage.

This dish embodies Chase’s legacy of hospitality, family, and bringing people together through food, making it not only a culinary staple but also a cultural celebration of New Orleans’ rich traditions.

If you are harvesting lots of greens, or even if you see spring on the horizon and you know you will be making space for warm weather veggies, this recipe is a must try!!  You can grab the full recipe here.

And look at this beautiful pot of Gumbo Z'Herbes, or Green Gumbo, from one of my favorite cookbooks and restaurants in New Orleans, The Mosquito Supper Club.  

Give your garden some love this month. 

Last month we talked all about decorating the garden, I hope you took my advice and decorated the garden!  And if not, don't let that opportunity pass you up next year!  It brought my family so much joy to spend time in my garden while it was all decorated for Christmas. 

In January we won't be decorating the garden, but we have an important garden task to complete!  We are giving our garden some extra love this month by adding leaves! Adding leaves to your garden bed is the best way I know to add TONS of microbial life and nutrients to your soil.  And guess what?  Right before a freeze the best time to add them, so get busy!  They can help raise the temperature of your soil up to 10 degrees! The leaves added in winter will help set your spring garden up for success! Don't miss the opportunity to grab any bag you see on the side of the road and simply add a 1-2" layer to your garden.  Let the microbes do the rest!  You can see just how I add leaves to my garden HERE.

Enjoying January in the Garden

This January, I hope you allow yourself to truly dream of what your garden can be.  Sit with your garden journal and dream big! While you are dreaming be sure to take some time to plant lettuce, radishes, and TULIPS!!  Your spring self will be so thankful that you did!