The month of January may be a dormant month but it can be seen as one of the best months for the sowing of seeds of some of the beautiful flowers and vegetables. However early sowing will require some patience. The light levels and high temperatures indoors can produce weak seedlings that are prone to “damping off”. One should be careful with all the materials they use and use high-quality peat-free seed compost if possible.
The conditions of temperature, moisture, sunlight, etc must be properly taken care of. There are some seeds to plant in January as the month is perfect for their growth and maturation.
Here is a quick list of some seeds to plant in January including herbs, vegetables, and flowers:
Iceland poppies:
The Iceland poppy plant seeds should directly be sown in the flower bed as the plants do not transplant well. Iceland poppies require proper sunlight and water to grow well. These large cup-shaped blooms have a texture like a crepe paper and appear in various shades of pastel colors. The good thing about these plants is that they last for long and are hardy and enhance the beauty of any flower garden.
Pelargoniums:
The common name for the flowers growing from these seeds is Geraniums or Zonal Geraniums. These are beautiful flowers and have very striking foliage. It is easy to grow flowers from these seeds. It generally takes about 12 to 16 weeks for the seeds to produce flowers. However, this time period may vary with its different varieties sold in the market.
Sweet peas:
Sweet pea seeds are about 1/8”, so they are very easy to plant. They are fit to be sown in the cool spring weather as they thrive well in cool temperatures and what can be a better month than January. It’s most varieties germinate easily giving rise to gorgeous and sweetly scented flowers. They can be planted both outdoors and indoors but one prefers indoors for the longest possible season of bloom.
Basil:
The seeds look familiar to sesame seeds but are black in color. These are also known with the names of Sabja seeds or Turkmaria seeds and have immense health benefits. Apart from producing basil leaves, they are also eaten by people as they are rich in vitamins and proteins. These seeds are hard and cannot be consumed raw and are soaked in water.
Dahlias:
Dahlia flower seeds take several seasons to produce blooms. In the first year, slender tubers will form but they will not be anything worth harvesting. The first essential step to starting dahlia seeds is harvesting ripe, ready pods. Dahlia flower seeds are produced in great amounts on the plants and can be saved for next year as well. These are definitely one of the seeds to plant in January.
Delphinium:
Its germination takes around about 7-28 days. Delphinium seeds can be sown early indoors and transplanted outside or can be directly sown in the garden or in potted plants. These seeds do not require much fertilizer and one requires an adequate amount of sun or light shade, moisture, and cool atmosphere. The seeds are good to be planted in winter.
Petunias:
Light is very essential for the petunia seeds to grow. They take nearly about 14 days to fully germinate. The seeds are very tiny and one should not cover petunia seeds fully with soil as they need light to germinate.
Coleus:
They germinate in about 10 to 20 days based on temperature conditions. We can start sowing these seeds with a flat or container with damp potting soil.
Chilies and aubergines:
They germinate in 3 to 10 days. We can grow these from both seed and plantings. While growing from seed they need to be sprinkled by a fine layer of vermiculite and water.
Begonias, tuberous and bedding types:
They produce flowers from July to October or November. They germinate in 15 to 60 days and light is essential for their growth. Their germination is believed to be a bit slow.