What to Plant: January in the Southwest Gardening Region
If you’re a Southwest gardener, you’re in the right place. If you’re from somewhere else, click to find garden planning information for your area.
Top 10 Garden Crops for the Southwest Region
Stay on Schedule. Vegetable planting times can change fast in a Southwest garden, so make sure you’re in the right month. Click on the current month below to learn more about what to plant now, anytime.
Successful Southwest gardeners emphasize crops that naturally grow well, which was clearly shown in our National Survey of Most Productive Garden Crops. Choose your favorites from the list below. These crops received the highest ratings from fellow organic vegetable gardeners in the Southwest. Additional options found on the Recommended Crops list are sorted by plant family to make it easier to plan effective rotations.
- Sweet pepper
- Cherry tomato
- Bulb onion
- Slicing tomato
- Garlic
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Potato
- Cucumber
- Summer squash
Other Highly Recommended Crops:
- Cabbage family: Kale, kohlrabi
- Cucumber family: Cucumber, pumpkin, winter squash
- Leafy greens: Arugula, chard, Chinese cabbage, mache, lettuce, pac choi, spinach
- Legumes: Dry soup beans, edamame, fava bean, snap beans, snow/snap and shell peas, Southern peas
- Root crops: Beet, radish, rutabaga, shallot, sunchoke, sweet potato
- Tomato family: Eggplant, peppers (all types), tomatillo
- Miscellaneous: Bulb fennel, leek, okra, rhubarb, scallions
January Vegetable Planting Chart, Southwest
|
VEGETABLES |
Sow Indoors |
Sow Outdoors |
Transplant |
Low Elevations Only |
|
|
XXX | XXX | ||
| Asparagus | XXX | XXX | ||
|
XXX |
XXX | |||
| Bok choy | XXX | XXX | ||
|
XXX |
XXX | |||
|
|
XXX | XXX | XXX | |
| Eggplant |
XXX |
XXX | ||
| Fennel, bulb |
|
XXX | XXX | |
| Kohlrabi | XXX | XXX | XXX | |
| Leek | XXX | XXX | XXX | |
| Lettuce | XXX | XXX | XXX | |
| Onion, bulb | XXX | XXX | ||
| Parsnip | XXX | XXX | ||
| Peas (snow, shell, snap) | XXX | |||
|
XXX |
XXX | |||
|
XXX |
XXX | |||
| Rutabaga | XXX | |||
|
XXX |
|
XXX |
XXX | |
|
XXX |
XXX |
XXX | ||
| Tomato |
XXX |
XXX | ||
| Turnip | XXX | XXX |
|
Sow Indoors |
Sow Outdoors |
Transplant |
Low Elevations Only |
|
| XXX | XXX | |||
| XXX | XXX | XXX | ||
| XXX | XXX | |||
| XXX | XXX | |||
|
|
XXX |
|
XXX | |
| Horseradish | XXX | |||
|
|
|
XXX |
XXX | |
|
|
XXX |
XXX |
||
| XXX | XXX | |||
| XXX | XXX | |||
|
|
|
XXX |
XXX | |
| XXX | XXX |
Good Reading About the Southwest Gardening Region
The Mother Earth News online archives include three decades of homestead and gardening reports from the Southwest gardening region, including these neat stories:
- Best Tomatoes for the Southwest, January 2010
- Phoenix Custom Chicken Coops, December 2009 (online)
- The Southwest, March 1990
- Chino Valley Changes, January 1987
- Mule Train Nomads, July 1979
- Water in the Desert, June 2004
- Great Places You’ve Never Heard Of
- Brisbee, Arizona, August 2008
- San Luis Obispo, California, August 2008
- Dixon, New Mexico, August 2007
- Silver City, New Mexico, October 2009
- Yavapai County, January 1987
Resources for the Southwest Gardening Region
Climate factors such as elevation or distance from the sea will influence when to plant what. These links will help you find your best planting dates, starting with extension service recommendations.
- Home Vegetable Gardening in New Mexico, New Mexico State University
- Vegetable Planting Guide, Arizona State University (click to your zone to find exact planting dates)
- Vegetable Planting Guide, San Diego (California) County Extension Service
- Sustainable Agriculture in Arizona. PDF from University of Arizona
- Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, University of California
- California Certified Organic Farmers, Santa Cruz, California
- Farm to Table, Santa Fe, New Mexico
