Timely Tips

What to Do in January 2026
Weekly Gardening Timely Tips from
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County

Jan. 18 to 24

Perennials: When purchasing seeds for a new garden, carefully consider what will work best for the site, and what will grow best from seed, plug, or whole plant. For established gardens, consult notes and photos for ideas of what to grow, and where. Focus on what you realistically have room to plant. Place your order soon, before popular varieties sell out.

Flowers: For an early glimpse of spring,continue forcing bulbs indoors. For more information, contact your local Cooperative Extension.

Fruits and Vegetables: Inventory seed starting supplies: lighting, containers, sterile mix, heat mats, etc. Purchase needed items now, so you are ready come planting time. If you are wondering if leftover seeds are too old to sprout, put 10 or 20 seeds in a paper towel. Keep them damp and warm for a week. If fewer than two thirds of them sprout, buy new seeds.

Trees and Shrubs: Leave snow on woody plant branches for insulation unless it looks heavy enough to break them. Shake the snow off carefully. Inspect newly planted and young plants with an eye toward training them in the coming spring to a form that will naturally shed snow. Allow ice on plants to melt naturally, as removing it could cause damage to the plants.

Lawns:This is a good time to think about possible changes to areas where the grass just won’t grow. If there are large trees that cast shade most of the day where less than 4 hours of sunlight gets through, a shade-tolerant ground cover would be an appropriate choice. Is there a hot spot near a driveway or street where crabgrass is always a problem? Heat tolerant ground covers that form a dense mat could do better. Does rainwater wash out a particular spot? A rain garden can slow stormwater so it can seep into the ground and renew groundwater.

Houseplants: If the tips of houseplant leaves are turning brown and the plants are not pot bound, increasing humidity in the room may help. A room humidifier is most effective. In a pinch, you may create some humidity around plant pots by placing them on a tray of moist pebbles. Make sure the bottom of the pots don’t sit in standing water.

General: If you raise chickens or other poultry, songbirds should not be allowed to mingle with poultry to reduce the risk of avian flu, especially HPAI, in flock. If you don’t raise chickens or other domestic fowl, keeping your bird feeder clean and full will aid the songbirds in your neighborhood. See The Cornell Lab All About Birds https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/browse/topic/feeding-birds/bird-feeders-feeding-birds#

Learn about connection between people and plants in the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester 2026 Home Garden Lecture Series: The People-Plant Connection.

Wednesday, Feb. 18 from 10 to 11 am, remote on Zoom, $5. All lectures are remote on Zoom. The whole series is $45; a ticket to any single remote lecture is $5 and the tour is $20 (while there is space).

Speaker: Gilda Forseter is a Westchester CCE Master Gardener Volunteer. She pursued her interest in horticulture after retiring from teaching. She holds certificates from the New York Botanical Garden in Horticultural Therapy and in Gardening. Judy Enjoys sharing her horticultural knowledge with others as a Master Gardener Volunteer. Check out the brochure at https://www.canva.com/design/DAG37gykNic/RGq-kIdH95APY6-bKoGQYw/view?utm_content=DAG37gykNic&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hcc45ab7c29 For more information, please call CCE at 914-285-4640, 914-285-4620 or email westchester@cornell.edu

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester horticulture program may be reached at 914-285-4640 or westchester@cornell.edu See our web page at https://westchester.cce.cornell.edu/

Last updated January 17, 2026