What to sow in January
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Not much. In January you can sow onion seed indoors and start chitting seed potatoes in milder areas. Outside, the jobs are harvesting leeks and parsnips, forcing rhubarb, planting bare-root fruit and getting ready for spring.
This month's priorities
- Plan this year's rotation and order seed and seed potatoes.
- Check nets over winter brassicas.
- Get mulch or compost ready for beds in February and March.
Sow indoors and out
- Onion seed (indoors): the RHS says onion seed can be sown indoors from mid-winter to early spring.
- Seed potatoes (chitting): start from late January in milder areas. In colder spots, wait until February or early March. Stand them in egg boxes or seed trays with the eyes facing up.
- Broad beans: the RHS starts indoor sowings in pots from February, so hold off a few more weeks.
- Outdoors: very little. Most outdoor sowing starts once the soil warms in spring.
Plant out
- Bare-root raspberries: plant while they're dormant, between November and March, as long as the soil isn't frozen.
- Rhubarb crowns: bare-root crowns are on sale from November to March. Plant them soon after they arrive, and don't pick any stems in the first year.
Harvest
- Leeks: hardy winter varieties can stand through the coldest weather without protection. Lift them as you need them.
- Parsnips: leave them in the ground until you're ready to eat them.
- Winter brassicas: keep picking sprouts, kale and winter cabbage.
Soil and maintenance
- Force rhubarb. Put a forcer, a tall bucket or an old bin over an established crown in mid-winter. The pale stems are usually ready four to eight weeks later.
- Get mulch ready. The RHS says late winter (February or early March) is the best time to mulch no-dig beds, so stack up compost or manure now.
- Clean out water butts and clear the shed gutters so spring rain goes in clean.
- Plan the rotation. Move each crop group on one bed from last year. The plot planner draws it out for you.
- Sort your seed box. Our seed storage guide helps you check what's worth keeping.
Weather
Frost forms when the air touching the ground drops below freezing, and frost risk varies from place to place and through the season. Leave planting for days when the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged, and keep an eye on your local forecast before planting anything out.
Wildlife
Pigeons go for brassicas hardest when snow or frost covers everything else. When you check your nets, make sure they're taut and fastened, so birds and other wildlife don't get tangled.
If you have one hour this week
- Walk round and check nets, covers and the shed after any storms.
- Lift some leeks or parsnips for the week.
- Write down what you want to grow this year and which bed each group goes in.
FAQs
Can I sow anything outside in January?
Very little. Most outdoor sowings start once the soil warms in spring. Use January for chitting potatoes, sowing onion seed indoors, ordering seed and getting beds mulched.
When should I start chitting potatoes?
From late January in milder parts of the UK, and up to early March in colder ones. Your local frost risk matters more than the calendar.
Is it too late to plant raspberries in January?
No. Bare-root canes can go in any time while they're dormant, between November and March, provided the soil isn't frozen.
Your next step
Open the sowing calendar, pick your region band and crops, and you'll see what's due in February and March. Then order what you need. If potatoes are on the list, our potato guide covers chitting.
Allotment sowing and jobs calendar
Worked example
For a cold plot growing broad beans, peas, runner beans, onions (sets), garlic, leeks, carrots, potatoes:
- Region band Cold: spring sowing and planting about 2 weeks later, autumn sowing and planting about 2 weeks earlier. That's our rule of thumb, not a measured figure
- March: Sow under cover: Broad beans, Peas, Onions (sets) (early March), Leeks
- March: Sow outdoors: Peas (late March), Onions (sets) (late March), Leeks (late March), Carrots
- March: Plant out: Peas (late March), Onions (sets) (late March), Garlic, Potatoes (late March)
- March: Harvest: Leeks
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad beans | late C | C | early C late S late P | S P H | early S early P H | H | H | late S | S | early S | ||
| Peas awaiting check | late C | C late S late P | early C S P | S early P | S H | early S H | H | H | H | |||
| Runner beans | late C | C late S late P | early C S P | S P H | early S early P H | H | H | |||||
| Onions (sets) | late C | C | early C late S late P | S P | early S early P | H | late S H | S late P H | early S P H | P | early P | |
| Garlic | late P | P | early P | H | H | H | H | late P | P | P | early P | |
| Leeks | H | late C H | C late S H | early C S | S | S | early S | H | H | H | H | H |
| Carrots | late S | S | S | S H | S H | S H | early S H | H | H | H | ||
| Potatoes | late P | P | P | early P H | H | H | H | H |
C sow under cover · S sow outdoors · P plant out · H harvest. "early" or "late" means only that half of the month.
Based on: Met Office. Sowing, planting and harvest months from RHS grow-your-own guides.
Sources
- Met Office: Met Office: what frost is, when it forms and how frost risk varies by place and season checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS onions: sets planted early to mid-spring (harvest July-September) or overwintering sets in autumn (harvest June-July), not in waterlogged soil; sets 10-15cm apart in rows 20-30cm apart; birds peck out new sets; heat-treated sets reduce bolting; stop watering once bulbs swell in mid-summer; harvest as foliage yellows and topples; dry about two weeks; store light, cool, dry and ventilated; sunny site with free-draining soil; seed sown indoors mid-winter to early spring; sets about 2cm deep with the tip just showing; can be grown in containers at least 45cm wide and deep in a sunny spot awaiting check
- RHS: RHS potatoes: chit from late January (milder areas) to early March; plant first earlies around late March, second earlies early to mid-April, maincrops mid-April to early May; trench 15cm deep; earlies 30cm apart in rows 60cm apart, maincrops 37cm apart in rows 75cm apart; earth up at about 23cm to a 20-30cm ridge; first earlies lifted June-July, second earlies July-August, maincrops late August-October; store cool, dry and frost-free; open, sunny site not prone to late frosts, rich fertile soil; usually easy and reliable; blight less likely on earlies; in containers at least 30cm wide and deep, one seed potato per 30cm of width, earlies best, grow bags need drainage holes awaiting check
- RHS: RHS broad beans: hardy varieties such as 'Aquadulce Claudia' for autumn sowing; spring sowings outdoors March to early May; indoors from February in pots or modules; seeds 5-7.5cm deep and 15-23cm apart; pinch out tips once the lowest pods form, which also reduces blackfly awaiting check
- RHS: RHS: plant raspberry canes while dormant, between November and March, provided the soil isn't frozen checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS rhubarb: bare-root crowns available November to March; force by covering with a forcer, bucket or bin in mid-winter; forced stems ready four to eight weeks after covering; don't harvest in the first year after planting awaiting check
- RHS: RHS: don't harvest any rhubarb stems in the first year after planting, and only a few in the second checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS: leeks are hardy and can be lifted through winter checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS: parsnips can be left in the ground until you are ready to eat them checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS no-dig: cover the soil with organic matter instead of digging; on weedy ground lay a double layer of plain cardboard and 10-15cm of organic matter; top up with an annual mulch about 5cm deep; late winter (February or early March) is the best time to mulch; it can use large amounts of mulch awaiting check
- RHS: RHS collecting water: collect from roofs including sheds and greenhouses; join butts with connector kits; fit a close-fitting lid; keep gutters clear; avoid using stored rainwater on seedlings (damping-off); clean butts each year awaiting check
- RHS: RHS crop rotation: group crops (brassicas, legumes, onions, potato family and roots) and move each section a step forward every year to limit soil pests and diseases checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS: pigeons eat brassica leaves, including winter brassicas; netting is the only certain protection checked 24 Oct 2026
- RHS: RHS raspberries: cover with plastic-free or reused netting held clear of the fruit on canes or poles, taut and fastened so birds and wildlife don't get entangled, or grow them in a fruit cage; bare-root canes can be planted while dormant, November to March, if the soil isn't frozen awaiting check
- RHS: RHS pigeons: brassicas and peas are favourites; netting is the only certain protection; keep netting taut and check for holes so birds aren't trapped; scarers and repellents give at best temporary protection awaiting check