Sally Scalera
| For FLORIDA TODAY
Winter is here, with 2026 arriving in just four days. For interested gardeners, there are classes available in January on Container Gardening, the Master Gardener Classes (including one specifically for working residents), a free Florida-Friendly Landscaping Seminar scheduled for March, and another class that will begin in April.
On Friday, Jan. 23, beginning at 10 a.m., I will teach a class titled “Container Gardening: Everyone Can Do It,” in our Brevard Discovery Garden Nursery. Cost i $10 per person. All participants will receive four plants to take home and grow as part of the class. I will cover all the basics of container gardening and show how easy it is to grow plants anywhere and everywhere!
To sign up, follow this link: https://ContainerGardeningBDG.eventbrite.com.
If you missed the news, two Master Gardener Classes will begin the second week of January. There will be a Wednesday class that will begin on Jan. 14 and run for 11 consecutive Wednesdays, ending on March 25. For working residents, six Saturday classes will be offered every other week, from Jan. 17 to March 25. Additional videos will be available to watch and learn from between the Saturday classes. All classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. During the first year, new MGs are required to volunteer 75 hours to be eligible to graduate. After the first year, only 35 volunteer hours are required per year to remain an active Master Gardener.
If you would like an application for either the Wednesday or Saturday Master Gardener Class of 2025, contact the Master Gardeners at brevard-mg1@ifas.ufl.edu. After we receive your completed application, you will be contacted by a Master Gardener to schedule a phone or in-person interview. During this interview, you will learn more about the program and can ask any questions you may have.
Mark your calendar because the Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Seminar will be held on Saturday, March 21, at the Melbourne Auditorium on Hibiscus Ave. The event will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude around 2 p.m. To keep up to date on the program or to sign up for a free ticket, follow this link: eventbrite.com/e/florida-friendly-landscapingtm-seminar-2026-tickets-1977311691497.
The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ class series is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, April 7, with no class on the 14, but will be held on the next seven consecutive Tuesday mornings from 9 a.m. until noon. Two topics will be covered each day, and the class cost is $90, which covers the notebook and additional printed material. This class covers the same presentations used in the Master Gardener classes for those who want the information but don’t have the time to volunteer. Check out the Eventbrite page at eventbrite.com/e/2026-florida-friendly-landscaping-class-8-week-series-tickets-1734222940499 to see the topics that will be covered. Zoom tickets are available if you can’t drive to Cocoa, and since the classes are recorded, you could continue watching the recording of each class for 180 days. If you are new to gardening in Florida or want to achieve better results from your gardening efforts, this class is for you!
Gardeners, there’s work outside ahead in January
Here are some suggestions for activities that you can do outside this month.
The shorter days of winter cause turf to stop growing, so mowing won’t be required very often, maybe just every 10 days to two weeks. Water the lawn once a week, or every 10 days, and water deeply, with approximately ¾ inch of water. If your irrigation system runs more than once a week, adjust it to water only once a week to comply with the St. John’s River Water Management District’s watering restrictions. For more information on the watering restrictions, visit sjrwmd.com/wateringrestrictions/.
If you plan on fertilizing your yard this spring, send in a soil sample this month to discover what nutrients need to be applied and how much. The soil testing form is available as a printable PDF at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/SS18700.pdf, which includes instructions on how to collect a soil sample. Be sure to pay for Test B, which costs $10 and measures the soil pH and water-soluble nutrient levels for phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese, zinc, and boron.
Some flowers that enjoy cooler temperatures include alyssum, dianthus, pansy, viola, petunia, calendula, phlox, stock, flowering kale, and snapdragons.
To protect tender plants from a freeze, cover them with blankets or quilts and weigh the edges down if windy weather is in the forecast. When using a plastic tarp to cover the plants, don’t allow the plastic to touch the foliage or cold damage will occur!
Herbs for January planting include chives, chervil (an anise-flavored winter annual), oregano, cilantro, fennel, mint, parsley, lavender, rosemary, sage, and thyme.
If needed, prune deciduous plants while they are dormant, including all dead and diseased wood. For detailed information on pruning the various deciduous fruit trees, shrubs, and vines, do an internet search for the crop, followed by IFAS (ex., peach IFAS).
If you’re growing your own vegetables and/or fruit trees, spray them weekly with a liquid seaweed or kelp solution (i.e., Maxicrop, Liquid Kelp, etc.). Use a hand pump-up sprayer to apply a fine mist on both sides of the foliage. The plant will translocate the trace elements and growth hormones all throughout the plant, even if you can’t spray all the foliage! For more ideas, email the Master Gardeners to receive a copy of our recommendations for growing fruit trees and other edible plants.
Vegetables that can be planted in January include arugula, beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery (sow seeds directly in the garden), Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, onions-bunching (green and shallots), peas (English & snow), peppers, potato-Irish, radish (sow seeds directly in the garden), spinach, squash, sweet corn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, and watermelon.
This is the month to sow arugula, beans, beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, collards, cucumber, eggplant, endive/escarole, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mustard, okra, peas (English, snow, Southern), peppers, Seminole pumpkin (our only Florida native vegetable), spinach, squash, sweet corn, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips, and watermelon seeds for planting in February.
When planting peas and/or beans, be sure to get an inoculant containing Rhizobium bacteria so the plants can fix atmospheric nitrogen in their roots.
To save space when sowing carrots and radishes in the garden, sow them in the same row because carrots are slower to germinate, and the radishes will be harvested before the carrots need space. Also, cover the seeds with some vermiculite to help mark the row.
Check out the fresh produce that will be available at the Brevard County Farmers Market every Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Wickham Park Pavilion. To discover more, follow the Facebook page, facebook.com/brevardcountyfarmersmarket/, for the most up-to-date information on the produce and other products available each month.
Sally Scalera is an urban horticulture agent and master gardener coordinator for the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Science.
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