January is a quiet month in the garden as most things are dormant, yet lots of seeds can be sown now undercover on a windowsill, greenhouse, and heated propagator.

Vegetable seeds to be sown indoors in January

Herbs, chilli plants and microgreens can be grown indoors on a windowsill now to provide fragrance and nutrients throughout the colder months.

Chilli peppers are super easy to grow and can be sown now in Rootrainers and placed on a windowsill. Water regularly and they should begin to germinate in 7 to 10 days.

Other tasty green such as winter salads, spinach, spring onion and cauliflower can all be sown now into Rootrainers and placed on a bright windowsill to encourage germination.

Onion seeds can still be sown now and will need enough space to develop into a bulb before planting out after the risk of frost has passed.

Chilli peppers are super easy to grow and can be sown now in Rootrainers and placed on a windowsill. Water regularly and they should begin to germinate in 7 to 10 days.

Other vegetables to sow in the greenhouse or indoors now includes aubergines, summer maturing cabbages, and turnips.

Vegetable seeds to be sown directly in January

We are big advocates for growing potatoes in planters. To get ahead for an early crop start chitting early varieties such as Charlotte potatoes by standing them in an old egg box on their end on the windowsill of the porch.  Our full guide on how to grow potatoes in bags is here.

Both celery and celeriac can be sown now in either a heated greenhouse or under a heated propagator.

Strawberry runners can also be planted under bell cloches or a kitchen garden cloche to get an earlier crop of strawberries in summer.

Dormant rhubarb crowns and bare root fruit trees such as apple and pear can be planted now as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Rhubarb can be grown from seed, but can’t be harvested until its' second year, so it is best to buy a Rhubarb crown, that is a year old, and planting that. 

Broad beans can be sown in January, but they will need protecting from harsh weather, so start them off inside in Rootrainers.