9 Things You Should Do in Your Garden This Month

It’s time to hit “refresh” and head back to the garden. Start the year with a new — or renewed — commitment to garden sustainably. Here’s nine things our editor’s suggest doing this month….

1. Plant cool-season herbs like cilantro, chives, parsley, chervil and arugula.

2. Continue to add natives to the garden now so they benefit from wet weather and cool days.

3. Handpick hungry snails, drop them in a plastic bag and toss the bag in the trash. If you prefer to scatter bait, pick a pet-safe formula like Sluggo with iron phosphate.

4. Select aloes and other winter-blooming succulents for your garden now when you can see their bold flower shapes and colors.

5. Fertilize hydrangeas with aluminum sulfate and many pink-flowering varieties will produce blue flowers.

6. Join a community garden club to meet fellow gardeners and learn more about horticulture in your area. A list with monthly programs is at sdfloral.org.

7. Plant camellias now while they are dormant. Put root balls 1 inch higher than the soil level so crowns aren’t covered.

8. Reduce irrigation times to reflect seasonal rains and temperature fluctuations.

9. Consult the University of California’s Weed Photo Gallery to identify and control garden weeds. Bookmark the site for easy reference: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/weeds_intro.html