I Do This One Tidy-up in My Greenhouse Every January, and It Saves Me Hours Come Spring

Some small, potentially mundane tasks can make a difference, and there is one tidying-up task I have always done in January that can save me hours come spring. It can even be done indoors if the weather is particularly foul outside this month.

I grew many hundreds of plants every year in the gardens I worked in, and every January, I ensured the propagation bench was ship-shape, fully stocked, and ready to go. It is better to take time now, rather than lose time when the season gets going in earnest.

The simple task of tidying and arranging a propagation bench gets it prepared for the season ahead, saving me from wasting time and effort in spring. Such a quick and simple task can prevent regret, and I recommend that any gardener add this to their to-do list of January gardening jobs.

The January Tidy-up I Do Every Year in My Greenhouse

Cleaning, sorting, and tidying are never going to stand out as the most glamorous jobs, but they are important tasks that all pro gardeners will do in January. From cleaning a greenhouse to cleaning garden tools, these tasks are hugely beneficial for many reasons.

I believe giving your propagation station some attention should be on your late winter gardening checklist. It is a January tidy-up I do every year, and here are three key steps that form part of it, along with why I think it saves you time come spring.

1. Clean Your Sowing Essentials

January is an ideal time to sort and clean pots, seed trays, and module trays. Any container you might sow into needs a wash. This helps you prepare for seed sowing and ensures any seeds you sow have the greatest chance of success.

Using old, dirty trays or pots is a common seed sowing mistake, and it risks infecting seedlings. Fungal spores and bacteria can overwinter in old soil left in trays, making seedlings increasingly susceptible to rot or damping off.

Continuing to use old, dirty trays only raises the chance of your sowing failing and your efforts being wasted. You may need to spend money on plants to replace seedlings that perished. This needn’t be the case, as it is quick and simple to prepare them.

Brush any old soil off with a stiff brush, and then clean flower pots and seed trays with a solution of one part bleach to ten parts water. Let them dry naturally, and they are ready to use.

2. Test Your Equipment

If you want to start sowing seeds indoors early in the year, extra heat and light are required. For healthy seedlings, they need sufficient warmth and light to develop. The warmth can come courtesy of heated propagators, heat mats (like this seed starting heat mat from Burpee), heat benches, or heating fans, while grow lights can supplement natural light levels.

Whatever you use, take a few minutes in January to check that they are working properly. Switch them on and run them to make sure they are ready to go. This avoids a nasty surprise, especially if you have sown seeds and are relying on the additional heat for germination.

It would be a waste of time and effort to sow the first seeds of the year, and get zero results, as it is too cold. As a gardener who experienced this with faulty fan heaters, I can testify that it is very frustrating.

3. Get Key Supplies in Early

January is a good time to do an inventory of essential equipment and get supplies for the seed sowing season. For example, make sure you have seed compost and vermiculite (like this organic vermiculite at Garden Goods Direct) for sowing. This avoids a last-minute run to the garden center or waiting for a delivery when you’d rather be sowing.

Another often-overlooked, but important, thing is labels. Clean what you’ve got or get new ones, they can be wooden (like these bamboo plant labels at Amazon), or slate if you are looking for plastic alternatives in the garden. Getting these now saves you wasted time in a confused state when looking at trays of unlabelled seedlings.

Plus, I do like to ensure I have a pot on the bench ready with a dibber, sharp pencils, a rubber, and a knife or pair of scissors. It means I am all primed to get propagation off to a winning start each year.

Another crucial step I have always taken in January is to make a seed sowing schedule for the season. By having a list of plants and organizing their sowing either weekly or monthly, you don’t miss any flowers or vegetables.

The seedlings will also be ready at the correct time to go into the garden. I like to be organized, and having a plan in advance fills me with confidence that my growing season will be a triumph.

Seed Sowing Supplies