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Arizona Garden in January

Welcome to your Arizona garden in January guide. Even though January is typically the coldest month in the low desert, you don’t have to stay indoors waiting for warmer weather. Now is the perfect time to focus on important garden tasks—like pruning roses and fruit trees—to keep your landscape healthy.

For those in the low desert areas (below 3,500 feet), such as Phoenix or Tucson, this guide will help you confidently garden during the cooler months.

Tip: Want to know exactly what to plant this month? Check out my What to Plant in Arizona in January guide for a complete list of cool-season veggies, flowers, and more to get planting.

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“Anyone who thinks gardening begins in the spring and ends in the fall is missing the best part of the whole year. For gardening begins in January with the dream.”

– Josephine Nuese

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Click on the title to jump to that section and learn more about what to do during January:

• January YouTube Videos
• Vegetable Gardening Tasks for January
• My January Garden Journals
• Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month
• Container Gardening Tasks
• Flower Gardening Tasks
• Caring for Roses During January
• Herb Gardening
• Fruit Trees and Citrus
• Landscape Plant Tasks During January
• Watering Your Garden and Landscape During January
• Freezing Temperatures & Frost Protection

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January YouTube Videos:

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Vegetable Gardening Tasks for January

If you make only one gardening resolution this year, let it be spending time in your garden every day. This one habit can make a big difference to your garden. Sometimes, our gardens can get neglected after a vacation or a busy time like the holidays. Spend time going through your garden bed by bed and cleaning things up. Prune unruly plants. Remove dead leaves. Harvest the vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers that need to be harvested. Keep your garden cleaned up by removing dead plants. Add mulch to areas that need it. Learn more about what to use for mulch in this guide.

If one of your goals this year is to meet and connect with other gardeners, consider joining a gardening club. Use this guide to find a gardening club near you and learn more about the benefits of joining.

If you would like to learn more about the principles of successful desert gardening, my guide, “Desert Gardening: How to Grow Vegetables in a Hot, Dry Climate,” may be helpful.

If you didn’t start seeds indoors for tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers in December, get them started this month. The seedlings will be ready to be planted by February or March. Read this post for more information about how to start seeds indoors. Here is a link to my favorite seed-starting supplies. 

Continue planning for February and March plantings. This is seed catalog season; get ideas you want to try and order seeds. Look at your garden and plan where you will plant everything—research different varieties to see which ones do well in Arizona. You can see my favorite varieties here. A good rule of thumb is to look for short-season crops. Be sure to rotate where you plant each year. Want more information about gardening in Arizona? This blog post shares seven tips for how to grow a vegetable garden in Arizona. 

Are you going to grow sweet potatoes this year? Start your sweet potato slips to be ready to plant in March. This article explains how to start sweet potato slips. 

Buy organic turmeric and ginger to plant out in March. Learn how to pre-sprout ginger and turmeric in this blog post. If you’re looking for another easy crop to grow, try garlic. For detailed instructions, check out this post on how to grow garlic.

Take a look at your garden beds. Do any need replacing or fixing? What about your watering system? Is everything working correctly? January is a good month to make adjustments and add or replace raised beds. I use the metal raised beds and watering grids from Garden in Minutes. Use code Angela10 to save $10 off $100 or GITG5 to save 5 percent on any size order.

January is the time to cut back your asparagus. Cut back dry stalks and amend with 2-3 inches of composted manure and a 2-inch layer of wood chips, straw, or compost. Feed lightly with a balanced organic fertilizer.

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My January Garden Journals

Twice a month, I send my personal garden journal to members of “Growing in the Garden Academy.” From the first seedling to the last harvest, you can follow my gardening adventures in Arizona’s unique low desert. Access the past three years of garden journals and monthly classes as a member.

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Pests & Wildlife to Watch Out For This Month

Grey aphids are active in the desert during the cooler months. They love tender new growth on brassicas. Spray them off with a strong stream of water.

When you bring your harvested brassicas inside, fill a bowl with salted water and soak the leaves for a few minutes. The salt helps loosen and remove hidden aphids, which then drop to the bottom of the bowl. Afterward, rinse the kale under running water before cooking or eating.

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Container Gardening Tasks

If you still have empty containers, now is the time to plant them with cool-season crops and spring flowers. However, remember that container plants are more prone to frost damage. Cover your frost-sensitive plants in containers with frost cloth or burlap if freezing temperatures are in the forecast. You can also move them under a patio or close to the house to give them extra protection. Learn which plants to cover in a freeze in this guide.

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Flower Gardening Tasks

Cool-season annual flowers and wildflowers planted from September through December should begin blooming this month and continue through at least March. If seedlings are coming up in tight clumps, gently thin them to give each plant enough space. Aim to water your cool-season annuals once a week, soaking the soil about 4–6 inches deep.

For bigger, better blooms on seed-grown annuals, thin the seedlings when they reach 3–4 inches tall so their leaves touch each other. Also, consider pinching back spring-blooming flowers to encourage branching. Although it may feel drastic, a quick trim can lead to more—and longer—flower stems. Learn which flower stems benefit from pinching in this guide.

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The Perpetual Annual Flower Planting Calendar, available in my shop, helps you learn when to plant flowers in the low desert of Arizona and whether to plant seeds or transplants.

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Caring for Roses During January

January is a big month for roses. It’s the best time to plant new roses. It’s also the best time to move roses to a different spot in your yard.

Are you thinking about adding more roses to your garden? I get all of my roses from Heirloom Roses. I love that they are own-root roses (no grafts!) and have the highest standards for diseases. You know you are getting robust, disease-free roses with strong roots when you get them from Heirloom Roses. Use Code GARDENAZ20 for 20% off any rose order through December 31, 2025.

Pruning Established Roses: Now is the time to prune if your roses have been in the ground for over a year. Remove dead wood, crossing branches, canes that rub against each other, and those that are no longer producing. Cut back about one-third (and no more than half) of the previous season’s growth, focusing on opening the center of the bush to improve airflow and sunlight.

Cleanup and Fertilizing: After pruning, clean up any fallen leaves or debris around your roses to help prevent disease and pests. Hold off on fertilizing during January—save that step for when new growth begins.

Check out my detailed rose care blog post for more in-depth information on growing and caring for roses.

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Herb Gardening

Garlic chives are a hardy perennial herb that thrives in Arizona’s climate. If you haven’t grown them yet, consider tucking them into your garden this month. If you already have garlic chives, January is the perfect time to cut back and divide any overgrown clumps. Trim them down to the soil level, divide them as needed, and add a layer of compost or manure. You’ll see tender new shoots sprouting by early spring, ready for another season of growth.

Hold off on cutting back other herbs for now—garlic chives respond best to a January trim. For more details, check out my article on how to grow garlic chives.

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Fruit Trees and Citrus

January can be one of the busiest—and most rewarding—times for fruit tree care in the Arizona low desert. Focus on these garden tasks for fruit this month:

Harvest Citrus
Many citrus varieties—such as blood oranges—are ripening this month. To check for sweetness, pick one and taste it. If you have established citrus trees, water them every 3–4 weeks in January. Avoid pruning citrus this month.

Plant Deciduous Fruit Trees
January is ideal for planting deciduous fruit trees in the low desert. Choose varieties that require fewer than 400 chill hours, mature early, and are self-pollinating. Learn how to plant fruit trees in this guide. If some of your existing trees haven’t fully dropped their leaves, remove any remaining leaves to encourage dormancy. Refer to this Fruit Planting Guide for tips on selecting trees well-suited to the low desert.

Prune Deciduous Fruit Trees
Prune these trees before they break bud. Remove dead, diseased, broken, or crossing branches and water sprouts (shoots growing straight up). Consider applying horticultural oil to help control pests before buds appear.

Fertilize Deciduous Fruit Trees
Feed your trees at the end of the month, and water them thoroughly before and after fertilizing. This helps move nutrients into the root zone and prevents fertilizer burn. Use this compost feeding method or an organic fruit tree fertilizer.

Feed Fig Trees
Established fig trees benefit from a dose of aged manure in January. This provides essential nutrients for healthy spring growth. For more details, see the Fig Growing Guide.

Prune Grapes
Grapevines produce fruit on one-year-old wood, so annual pruning is crucial. During the first couple of years, focus on building a solid framework. By the third year, your vines will be ready to yield a good crop. For more details, see the Grape Growing Guide.

Clean Up Around Trees
Remove any fallen or rotting fruit to discourage pests and diseases. Keeping the area around your trees tidy will help them stay healthy throughout the season.

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Landscape Plant Tasks During January

Plant Cold-Tolerant Varieties: January is an excellent time to add cold-hardy trees, bushes, and perennials to your landscape. Protect new transplants from freezing temperatures by covering them or moving containers under shelter if needed.

Propagate Succulents: The cooler weather in the low desert makes this month perfect for propagating succulents. They’ll have time to develop strong root systems before the summer heat arrives.

Wait on Frost-Sensitive Plants: Hold off until mid-to-late February to plant or prune frost-tender varieties like lantana and hibiscus. Pruning them now can expose fresh cuts to cold weather, which may cause damage.

Prune Cold-Hardy Trees and Shrubs: Go ahead and remove any dead branches on cold-hardy plants.

Manage Fallen Leaves: Consider leaving fallen leaves in place as a natural mulch. If you rake them up, bag them and let them decompose for leaf mulch in spring, or add them to your compost pile. For more details on composting, check out my composting article.

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Watering Your Garden and Landscape During January

Keep an eye on the weather this month. If you’re getting regular rain, turn off your irrigation system—trees and shrubs might only need watering once or twice in January. I usually water my garden beds about once a week during January, but check the soil first. If it’s still damp, wait a bit longer. After a heavy rain, you might not need to water at all. If it’s dry, water trees and shrubs every 2 to 4 weeks. For extra tips, visit wateruseitwisely.com.

Try not to overwater annual flowers. Water them until the soil is wet (about 6 inches down), then let the top dry out before watering again. For container plants, use a moisture meter or poke a finger in the top inch of soil—if it’s dry, it’s time to water. Established citrus trees typically need water every 3 to 4 weeks, while fruit trees are good with deep watering every 10 to 14 days.

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Freezing Temperatures & Frost Protection

One of the biggest challenges in a winter garden is the occasional freeze. If your plants have suffered frost damage, resist the urge to prune them right away—wait until your last frost date to trim off damaged leaves or branches. Read the complete guide to pruning peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants after winter here. In the meantime, keep burlap or frost cloth on hand to cover newly planted citrus, young lemon and lime trees, and other frost-sensitive plants whenever the forecast calls for temps below 32°F (0°C).

If you’re not sure which plants need protection or how to cover them properly, I’ve got several guides that can help:

• Protecting Citrus in Cold Weather: Learn the best ways to shield your citrus trees from freezing temperatures.
• Which Plants to Cover in a Freeze: Find out which vegetables, landscape plants, and flowers are most at risk.
• Ways to Protect Your Garden From Frost: Get step-by-step tips for safeguarding your garden and containers when a cold snap hits.

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