Welcome to 2025! It’s time to set our gardening resolutions! What do you hope to learn more about in the garden this year? What new plants are you going to try? What areas are you planning to revamp? January is time to get moving and set yourself up for big success this spring and beyond. Beds need prepping, veggie seeds need starting, citrus trees need feeding, and YES you can get a head start on planting too! Here are our top must-do’s (and don’t do’s!) this month.
Check out our January Garden Guide for more tips and remember that trees, shrubs, and perennials can be planted 12 months out of the year! The only difference is the amount of water they need depending on temperatures and wind!
1. Mulch to Protect Against Drought and Cold
Let’s start off with the simplest and most effective garden must-do…JUST MULCH! A good 2-3″ deep layer of mulch is our best protection against dry drought conditions and against cold snaps/freezes. Think of mulch as insulation for your plant roots – it helps retain moisture in the soil and it provides a barrier to keep cold air out. Natural mulches also break down over time and add nutrients to your soil. Maintain a good layer of mulch, but don’t pile mulch up around the base of trees and plants. Give your trunks and root flares (where the roots meet the main trunks/stems) a few inches of breathing room for better oxygen exchange and to prevent potential fungal problems.
2. Prep Soil Now for Spring Planting
January is our month to plan and prep for spring. Clean up, remove weeds, and most importantly, prep your garden beds by adding some compost! We love Nature’s Blend Compost for veggie and landscape beds, including raised beds. A good ratio is 1 bag per 12 sq. ft. of bed space. If you make your own compost, that approximate ratio works well. It doesn’t have to be exact. If working out is part of your new year’s resolution, get outside, grab your garden forks or a shovel, and turn some compost into the first few inches of soil – great exercise!
3. Wait to Prune!
Remember – wait to do any major pruning of most plants until February! We can be tempted to do too much pruning in January, but you don’t want plants to think its time to start putting on new growth since we still have potential for cold snaps. We’re expecting cold weather next week! Even if we do get a cold snap that damages some foliage, wait to prune because that damaged foliage will help insulate against more possible cold weather. We need to tolerate some wintery-looking plants this month.
Ornamental grasses, like Pink Muhly or Purple Fountain grass, are a January exception. They should be cut back this month. Trim them straight across (no cupcakes) 3”-4“ from the ground. Use a bungee cord or piece of rope to gather them up, then cut straight across with your shears – just like the photo above.
4. Feed Your Citrus Trees
Fertilize your citrus trees in January for more blooms, again in May/June for better fruit set, and again in September/October for nutrients. We recommend fertilizing with Espoma Citrus-Tone – all organic and highly effective. Remember to fertilize trees, including citrus, at the drip line. That means spread fertilizer in a circle where the rain naturally drips down from the leaves, not right up against the trunk.
5. Start Veggie Seeds!
January is time to start tomatoes, kale, chard, onions, carrots, beets, parsley and more from seed. We carry easy seed-starting trays, peat pots, and Espoma Organic Seed Starter soil for starting seeds indoors or on a protected/covered patio. A good rule of thumb is that once the seedlings have made their first true set of leaves, they are ready to be transplanted into a larger container outside or directly into the garden bed.
Check out our full Spring planting guide here.
6. Grow Potatoes and Onions!
January is prime time to plant potatoes and onions! We carry Red La Soda and Yukon Gold potatoes because they are better suited for South Texas growing conditions than larger varieties. Watch Matt’s video guide to planting potatoes here!
Plant onions in a row every 3-4″ then thin them by plucking every other green top as they grow. This will allow the onions to grow to full size. Keep in mind that both potatoes and onions need well-drained soil. Great for raised beds and containers!
7. Adjust Lighting and Water for Houseplants
Generally, most houseplants will need more light and less water this month. A moisture meter will come in handy to be sure you’re not overwatering. Experiment with moving houseplants to sunnier windows, and take them outside for a sunny day or 2. Keep their leaves clean to help them take up sunlight and prevent bad bugs. We like using a very light solution of Neem oil + water to wipe down leaves here at Gill’s.
8. Speak Up About Your Water!
Current City of Corpus Christi Stage 3 drought rules are very limited. We CAN water vegetables, fruit trees, food-bearing plants, and all potted plants. We CAN also apply for exemptions to the watering rules in order to get new plantings established.
We need to speak up about our water! While we may need to strictly limit spray irrigation of lawns during current drought conditions, we still need to be able to water established landscapes and trees, and we need to be able to water new plantings. We have been in close contact with City leadership to offer suggestions for changing the Stage 3 rules to allow hand watering and the use of drip irrigation. If you’d like to contact the City, we wrote this letter for you to use. Copy it and customize it however you wish. The more gardeners who speak up, the better!
Keep in mind that plants don’t need much water in January, but dry cold fronts, high winds, and low humidity can dry plants quickly. Also, if we expect freezing weather, it’s very important to water deeply before the freeze to insulate roots against cold.
Astrid Olson says
I sent a question to the City when the restrictions were first published. I told them that I have lots of milkweed from Gills Nursery and raised over 50 Monarch butterflies in 2024. I explained that not being able to water at least potted plants, will affect the well being/life of birds, bees and butterflies. Kaylynn Paxxon City Council District #4 took this very seriously and the City corrected the wording to potted plants can be watered with a shut off hose. You are right, we need to speak up. San Antonio is also under stage 3 water restrictions, but those restrictions make much more sense and do not jeopardize plants and landscaping. Thank you for contacting the City in this matter.
Jesse Jenkins says
Thank you, Astrid! That is wonderful that you contacted the City about potted plants. There are many gardeners in our area who are planting for pollinators and to support the local environment – not only in pots, but all over their property. Supporting and protecting our local ecosystem is more important than saving a very small amount of water. Wildlife habitat loss, loss of soil nutrients, erosion, and dust/worse air quality are serious concerns. Other Texas cities in drought-prone areas (Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, Del Rio, McAllen, Lubbock) allow hand watering and drip irrigation during the severe/critical stages of their drought contingency plans. Some even still allow spray irrigation on certain days. We need to speak up and work with City leadership to revise the plan as soon as possible.