Tip #8: Refurbish soil in vegetable gardens and flowerbeds or build new ones.
January is a good time to prepare your vegetable garden and/or annual flowerbed soil for the upcoming spring planting season. Till in 1/2 to 1 inch of organic compost to garden soil. If you do not make your own compost, most local nursery and garden centers carry products such as mushroom compost or composted cow manure. These products are necessary to replenish soil with rich organic matter necessary to successfully grow healthy vegetables and flowers.
Tip #9: Seed or overseed Fescue lawns at this time.
If you plan on seeding or overseeding a fescue lawn this Spring, the earlier you do so the better. There are two basic categories of fescue seed: "turf-type", and KY-31 Fescue. We recommend using turf-type fescues or a mixture of the two. Keep in mind that Ky 31 is best suited for use in pastures and thrives best when cut at 6 inches or higher. It is best to broadcast fescue seed with a rotary-type walk behind or shoulder spreader. Feed newly seeded fescue lawns with a lawn starter fertilizer conatining plenty of phosphorus (middle number).
Tip #10: Apply pelletized lime at this time to Fescue, Bermuda, and Zoysia lawns.
Lime is not a fertilizer, however, you may notice after applying it that your lawn greens up quickly. This is due to the correction of the pH, which can unlock and releases fertilzers that have been applied in the past. If you have never applied lime to your lawn, a one-time application of 40 lbs standard pelletized lime per 500 -1,000 square feet usually corrects soil pH to a level sufficient for these grasses to thrive and for fertilizers applied to activate. Make sure to use "pellitized" lime as it activates instantly. You can test your soil with a soil testing kit purchased from your local nursery and garden center. Your local cooperative extension service may provide soil testing services.
Tip #12: Begin planting perennial plants.
Perennials are flowering or foliage plants that return year after year after you plant them in your garden. There are hundreds and hundreds of varieties of perennials, many of which bloom in Spring and others that bloom in summer, fall or winter. Some bloom all season.
