January Tips & Events for Santa Clara County |
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“Gardening begins in January with the dream.”
~Josephine Nuese
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Quiz: What Do These Plants Have in Common? |
These plants may look entirely different, but they are all connected in some way. What unites cabbage, kale, kohlrabi, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, rocket (also known as arugula), mustards, horseradish, cress, collards, rutabaga, and turnips? |
Photo: Cauliflower (Master Gardeners of Napa County), yellow mustard (Sallman Hayat, Pixabay), kohlrabi (Pixabay), Brussels sprouts (Pixabay)
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Photo credit: Canva stock image |
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January is a great time to prune most dormant fruit trees (except apricots and cherries which should be cut back in August). Once the leaves have dropped, you can see the structure and can more easily make decisions about where to cut. There’s no substitute for hands-on practice and observing how your trees respond, but we can help. We have many classes in January—all the classes offered are in the events listing below. |
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Are you limited in space, but still want to grow a variety of fruits? Grafting is a technique that allows you to have multiple varieties of compatible fruit on one tree. It works by joining the vascular tissues of a shoot (scion) from one tree to a different tree that provides the root system. If the graft is successful, the scion will continue to grow and maintain the characteristics and fruit of the scion plant. You can graft scions to temperate fruit trees when they are dormant in January and February. Scions are available in February at the California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG) scion exchange. Their event also includes training classes.
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Photo: Multiple grafts on one tree, the wrapping on each scion helps prevent moisture loss, Ying Chen
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Lady Beetles in Rest State |
While exploring the hillsides this time of year, you may encounter clusters of lady beetles, also called ladybugs. These insects, helpful in controlling pest populations in our gardens, gather in large groups for hibernation. They huddle closely in sheltered locations and enter a state of dormancy. During this time, their bodily functions slow down, allowing them to conserve energy and survive the winter months when food is scarce. Once spring arrives and temperatures rise above 55°F, ladybugs will wake from their hibernation.
Please leave them undisturbed when you see them. Unfortunately, the clustering of ladybugs makes them easy targets for individuals to collect them—sometimes illegally—to sell to garden stores. UC has information about the challenges of using commercially available lady beetles.
Photo: Ladybugs in clusters ready for hibernation, Ying Chen
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Pruning Native Plants in Winter |
If your landscape includes California native plants, you may wonder if you should prune them. The answer? It depends! Some don’t respond well to shaping or shearing to control size. But they do like careful pruning at the proper time, which is when they are dormant. That could be either summer or mid-winter. Natives that do well with winter trimming include California buckeye (Aesculus californica), honeysuckle (Lonicera hispidula), and salvia species. California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) and lilac verbena (Verbena lilacina) can be cut almost to the ground. But wait until summer for grasses and broadleaf evergreen shrubs and trees.
Photo: Prune California fuchsia heavily in winter, Allen Buchinski
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Dormant Season Raspberry Care |
The time of year to cut back raspberry canes depends on the type of raspberry you’re growing. For summer-bearing varieties, remove all the floricanes that bore fruit immediately after the summer harvest, leaving the new green primocanes. Then in the winter, you can just inspect and remove any weak or damaged canes. For fall-bearing (also called everbearing) varieties, you have a choice. Canes that bore fruit in the fall will produce a small crop in the summer, then can be cut down. Or to skip the summer crop in favor of a heavier fall crop, you can cut down all growth in the winter to encourage vigorous summer growth. |
Photo: Parts of a raspberry plant, University of Minnesota Extension
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All these vegetables—with their variety of colors, shapes, and textures—are members of the plant family Brassicaceae, with many from the genus Brassica. You may also hear them referred to as cole crops, a term derived from the Latin word caulis meaning stems or stalks. They are sometimes called crucifers or cruciferous vegetables. Here’s a good article that talks about the confusing terminology. These crops are rich in vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. If you planted brassicas in the fall, you are probably enjoying them by now. If not, you have another chance to plant them starting in February. Check out our Vegetable Planting Chart to find out when to plant and how to grow specific brassicas. |
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Photo credit: Joseph Buchinski |
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No plant clinic November–February.
Fruit Tree Pruning Classes
MCP Winter Fruit Tree Pruning, Saturday, January 27, 10–11:30 am, The Master Gardener's Orchard at Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Avenue, San Jose
Other Classes
Winter Rose Care, Tuesday, January 16, 7–8 pm, Orchard City Banquet Hall, Campbell Community Center, 1 W. Campbell Avenue, Campbell
National Seed Swap Day, Saturday, January 27, 11 am–1 pm, Willow Glen Library, 1157 Minnesota Avenue, San Jose
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Check our calendar for the latest schedule of events. Videos of many past presentations are also available.
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University of California Master Gardener volunteers promote sustainable gardening practices and provide research-based horticultural information to home gardeners. Visit our website for more information including:
Have a gardening question? Ask us. We’re here to help!
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