With temperatures near freezing in Charlotte you can use this month to rest and get ready for the gardening season. Plants are dormant and won’t require much attention. There isn’t all that much to do in the yard this month so enjoy this short gardening to do list for January.
Tree Banding
If you haven’t done so, pick up supplies from Blackhawk Hardware to band your trees. The sticky band you so often see around the trees of Charlotte will protect our city’s beautiful green canopy from canker worms.
Fill Bird Feeders
Birds are having a tougher time finding nutritious food sources and supplementing their natural food with seeds increases their chances of surviving winters. Bird feeders filled with bird seeds give Tweetie and Co a much needed boost of healthy fats and calories that help them weather cold spells and storms. Bird feeders also become a welcome rest stop for migrating birds as they pass through North Carolina. So, remember to keep the bird feeders in your yards filled this season – and best all year round.
Blackhawk Hardware has Charlotte’s finest wild birding selection. Our shelves are filled with a huge variety of bird feeders, houses and bird food. You’ll be sure to find an ideal bird feeder for your yard!
Plan Your 2018 Garden
Take this slow gardening time to enjoy a warm beverage of your choice and make plans for your 2018 garden. What annuals would you like to plant? Are there any areas that could use some more colorful bloom? Which vegetables are you looking forward to growing?
Maintain Tools
Get out your tools’ manuals out and give some TLC to your tools. Yard work becomes so much easier when blades are sharp and engines well oiled. Sharpening is easy thanks to Troutman’s Sharpening Service that picks up your dull blades and knives from Blackhawk Hardware. They’ll return them to us ultra sharp and ready for your next yard work day.
Start Seeds Indoors
Slow growing cold season vegetables can get a jump start if you plant their seeds indoors this January. Then you’ll transplant your broccoli, kale etc. seedlings once the ground is workable or the date of last possible frost has passed. Check your seed packages for detailed instructions!
Pruning
The height of winter is an excellent time to prune your deciduous plants. After your blades have been sharpened, use them to cut back dead or diseased branches, whip bushes back into their desired shapes, and lighten up areas that have overgrown.
Be careful to not prune any early spring blooming bushes like azaleas until after they have bloomed or you’ll trim off precious buds.
