Zone 5 - What to Plant in January

Zone 5 - What to Plant in January

It's January in Zone 5 and most gardeners are starting to get the itch to start ordering and growing some plants. January is the perfect time to start ordering your seeds for the coming season. You can even start planting a few items in late January to be prepared for early season plantings. Broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower can all be started in late January indoors to be ready for a March transplant outdoors.

Godzilla is a new broccoli that produces very heavy and small-beaded heads. Leaf attachments are small and lower on the stem, allowing for quick trimming and easier harvest.

Bobcat is a high producing fresh-market variety that has long storage life. Excellent flavor and good resistance to disease. Due to its high yield potential, Bobcat is suitable for coleslaw production.

The Green Sprouting Calabrese produces very large dark green heads bursting with flavor. Produces compact dark green central head, with many lateral or side shoots over a long season. Good in short season areas with cool nights. Slow bolting with great flavor and popular among gardeners.

Musk has been found to have the highest quality flavor and aroma compared to any other strawberries. This wild strawberry is native to Europe. They are nick named bubble berries in Europe because their flavor is a mix of tastes that remind people of fruit bubble gum.

'Reine des Vallees' is grown in Europe by home gardeners and commercial fruit growers. Its name in French means "Queen of the Valleys". Its name in Italian is Regina delle Valli. Whatever the name, this cultivar is THE standard in Europe for alpine strawberries. The major fruit exporting growers in Europe grow this variety exclusively. Reine des Vallees is a clumping type (produces few to no runners) and is day neutral which means that flowering is not dependent on day length. It is very productive and produces scarlet red fruit with the distinctive wild strawberry flavor and aroma that is expected from fraises des bois.

Happy Rich Baby is an excellent summer producing baby broccoli. Produces uniform, vigorous, dark-green florets that look like baby broccoli heads. One of the best flavors broccoli flavors with hints of sweetness. Produces generous amounts of side shoots when first floret is pinched out and plants are spaced 12-18" apart.

Red Wonder, aka Fraises des Bois, is a tasty Alpine Strawberry that is easy to grow from seed. Red Wonder is one of our favorites because it's considerably sweeter than most strawberries. An everbearing strawberry plant that produces all summer long.