Southern Winter Gardens: What to Plant in the South in January

A polar vortex had us feeling the winter here in the South, but with the coldest days behind us, it’s time to look toward spring gardening. North Florida gardener Melissa Strauss shares some tasty vegetables you can get started on now in your Southern garden.

Swiss Chard ‘Celebration’ with bright pink stems and broad, glossy green leaves featuring rippled edges. The stalks emerge from a soil bed and curve gracefully.

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Northern gardeners are still hunkered down for the winter chill during the first month of the year. But here in the South, we know that January is the time to start thinking about what we can get growing. Our lovely, long growing season and mild winters mean that many of the cool weather crops are either in our beds already or soon should be. 

Depending on how far south you go, there are a few different climates here. If you’re all the way in South Florida, where I grew up, you’ve probably got broccoli and lettuce ready to harvest this month. Meanwhile, if you’re in Tennessee, you might yet see a bit of snow this year. There are benefits to both.

The farther south we go, the shorter the growing season is for cool-weather vegetables. But your warm season is extra long, which means tons of tomatoes, peppers, and juicy strawberries for many months. In the Carolinas, you’ve got a wonderfully balanced climate with a moderate to long warm and cool season!

Even in those areas where it’s still touch and go on that last frost date, January is a great time to start planning. A gardening planner like the ultra-comprehensive and informative one we recently released is great for the task of planning and keeping track of your garden this year. It helps you to create layouts, set reminders, and keep track of what you planted and when you planted it. 

Once you’ve got a plan in place, January and February are a great time to plant seeds in the South. Always pay attention to your seed packets, as these will help determine things like the ideal planting window. You can also find information about starting them indoors or directly sowing them in the garden. Make sure to make note of the depth of planting, as some seeds need light to germinate, and others need darkness.

Here are some of the crops you can plant in January in the South!

Cabbage

Red Acre Cabbage Seeds

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Red Acre Cabbage Seeds

Mint

Common mint seed packet

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Common Mint Seeds

Collards

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Georgia Southern Collards Seeds

Collards ‘Georgia Southern’

The plants have large, dark green leaves that are smooth and glossy, with a firm texture, growing upright from a central stalk.
Their large leaves hold up wonderfully to cooking.
common-name common name Collards ‘Georgia Southern’
botanical-name botanical name Brassica oleracea var. viridis  ‘Georgia Southern’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 24”-36”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Collards are a Southern kitchen staple. As a northern transplant via South Florida, collards weren’t even in my vocabulary growing up. My sweet, Southern husband, however, loves his collard greens, so they are a fixture in our garden these days. I don’t mind one bit because they are quite beautiful and bring a ton of lush green foliage to the vegetable beds. 

Like other leafy greens, collards like frost. It sweetens up their leaves. Get these seeds in the ground at least two to four weeks before your last frost date. In the warmer states, you can fall plant collards, as they tolerate temperatures down to 20°F (-7°C).

‘Georgia Southern’ is a much-loved heirloom variety from the 1800’s. These are the ones you ate growing up. Their large leaves hold up wonderfully to cooking, and the baby greens are tender enough to eat raw. 

English Thyme

The plant has small, gray-green leaves and produces tiny purple flowers clustered in spikes.
Its pretty purple flowers are a pollinator magnet.
common-name common name English Thyme
botanical-name botanical name Thymus vulgaris
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 6”-12”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 5-9

January is a good time for Southern gardeners to get their herb gardens started. You’ll want to start some of them indoors, definitely your thyme and your basil. Speaking of thyme, you want to get this going now. Thyme is a wonderful complement to honey-glazed carrots and adds the perfect earthy balance to a tangy tomato pie. 

Thyme is drought tolerant, so it stands up to our long, hot summers. It forms an attractive, woody shrub with aromatic foliage and makes a good container plant. English thyme is native to the Mediterranean and has the strongest flavor of the three most common types. Its pretty purple flowers are a pollinator magnet, so it’s great for creating a border around your vegetable beds. 

Carrots ‘Cosmic Purple’

A bundle of Carrots ‘Cosmic Purple’ with deep purple skin and long, slender shapes, tied together with their leafy green tops still attached.
These are purple outside, but when you slice them, you reveal a bright orange core. 
common-name common name Carrots ‘Cosmic Purple’
botanical-name botanical name Daucus carota ‘Cosmic Purple’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 6”-7”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Carrots love a bit of chilly weather. If you’re south of Zone 9, fall is the ideal time to plant them, but January is not too late, though. If you get them in the ground now, you should be able to get them mature before the heat sets in. Everywhere else, the time for sowing carrot seeds is fast approaching. You’ll want them ready for that tupelo honey harvest in late April. If any vegetable belongs on that Easter table, carrots certainly do.

Don’t start your carrots indoors. Transplanting them mangles that lovely, straight tap root. Directly sow them when the soil temperature is around 45-60°F (7-16°C). Successive sow every three weeks for a longer harvest. ‘Cosmic Purple’ is a beautiful variety. Purple carrots aren’t new. They’ve been around for as long as 1,000 years. These are purple outside, but when you slice them, you reveal a bright orange core. 

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Beets ‘Early Wonder’

Beets ‘Early Wonder’ displaying green leaves with purple veins and smooth stems, covering the growing beet roots beneath the soil.
Beets add such a rich, gorgeous garnet color to whatever they touch. 
common-name common name Beets ‘Early Wonder’
botanical-name botanical name Beta vulgaris ‘Early Wonder’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 18”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-10

Like many root veggies, beets also like cool soil, and they are happy with conditions similar to those of carrots. Because they are root veggies, make sure you directly sow the seeds to avoid misshapen and underdeveloped beets. Planting them about a month before your last frost date is just right. These bulbous roots add such a rich, gorgeous garnet color to whatever they touch. 

‘Early Wonder’ is ideal for southern gardens. These beets mature quickly, particularly in the warm South, so there is time for some succession planting from January onward. This heirloom has been around for more than 100 years, so you know it’s been tested and approved by the generations. Beet greens are tasty, too. You can cook them just like other sturdy greens, and they have an early flavor like their fruits.

Kale ‘Dazzling Blue’

A tall plant with dark green, ruffled leaves and a purple central stalk, growing in a garden.
A bright magenta midrib and blue-toned leaves make this a showy plant in the garden.
common-name common name Kale ‘Dazzling Blue’
botanical-name botanical name Brassica oleracea ‘Dazzling Blue’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 24”-48’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Kale is another nutrient-packed leafy green that grows well in Southern winter gardens. The farther south you go, the earlier you can plant it, with the southernmost states able to get going in the fall and mid-southern areas ready to commence around January or February. Kale does well when you start the seeds indoors, about a month or two before the last anticipated frost. It begins to mature early, with baby greens ready to cut in just a month. 

‘Dazzling Blue’ has better cold tolerance than most kale varieties. In fact, the cooler weather will bring out more of the gorgeous blue tones in this kale. A bright magenta midrib and blue-toned leaves make this a showy plant in the garden. The baby greens are tender and great for salads and smoothies. Let them mature for an excellent, crisp chip sprinkled with a mixture of salt and cumin.

Common Mint

The plant has tall stems covered in bright green, oval-shaped serrated leaves.
Mint can be an aggressive spreader.
common-name common name Common Mint
botanical-name botanical name Mentha sp.
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 18”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 3-10

Start some mint seeds indoors, along with your thyme, to add to that herb garden. Mint can be an aggressive spreader, so I prefer to grow this one in a raised bed or other container to keep it under control. Start now, and you’ll have a bumper crop for sweet tea season. Mint seeds need light to germinate, so lightly press them into the soil; don’t cover them up.

There are many types of mint you can grow in your Southern garden. Lemon balm smells wonderful and soothing, and spearmint has a unique and strong flavor. Common mint covers all the bases, and it’s great for making mojitos. If you start now, you’ll have plenty of mint juleps for those derby parties!

Broccoli ‘Burgundy’

Broccoli ‘Burgundy’ with a tight, deep purple head surrounded by large, textured green leaves that have wavy edges.
Purple broccoli types are picky about temperature.
common-name common name Broccoli ‘Burgundy’
botanical-name botanical name Brassica oleracea var. italica ‘Burgundy’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 36”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

I don’t know by what miracle, but all three of my kids and my husband are huge fans of broccoli. They will eat it enthusiastically any day of the week. I don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, this is a cool weather crop I count on to keep everyone getting plenty of fiber and vitamin C

I love raw broccoli on a veggie tray, and ‘Burgundy’ broccoli is so beautiful. It really dresses things up. Purple broccoli types are picky about temperature. They prefer cool weather. This one is less finicky, though, so if you get those seeds in the ground now, you should get a decent harvest period. 

Turnips ‘White Lady’

This variety matures quickly and has a smooth texture and slightly sweet, fruity flavor.
common-name common name Turnips ‘White Lady’
botanical-name botanical name Brassica rapa ‘White Lady’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 2”-5”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-10

Speaking of veggie trays, turnips are so pretty, but some varieties can have a strong flavor when they’re raw. ‘White Lady’ is a petite and mild-flavored Japanese variety that matures quickly and has a smooth texture and slightly sweet, fruity flavor. Baby turnips are ready to pluck in just a month and two weeks more till they are mature.

Turnips, like beets and carrots, are root vegetables, so it’s best to directly sow them. This will ensure plump, well-shaped roots. Succession sow these for up to two months for a continuous harvest. 

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Lettuce ‘Ice Queen’

Lettuce ‘Ice Queen’ with a dense cluster of bright green, jagged-edged leaves, arranged in a compact head sitting on a wooden table.
Its ruffled outer leaves make a beautiful garnish or foundation for classic Southern salads.
common-name common name Lettuce ‘Ice Queen’
botanical-name botanical name Lactuca sativa ‘Ice Queen’ or ‘Reine des Glaces’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 6”-10”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Lettuce likes cold weather, and a frost sweetens it up. It’s a good fall crop in warm climates. As soon as the soil is 40°F (4°C), you can sow these seeds in late winter. Then succession sow every three weeks until it starts to warm up. They will stop germinating when the soil nears 80°F (27°C). You can start them a bit earlier indoors if you still have several months of cold to contend with. 

‘Ice Queen’ is a fancy French heirloom that goes back to the late 1800s. Its ruffled outer leaves make a beautiful garnish or foundation for classic Southern salads like chicken, egg, or ham salad. It does well in the heat, and the heads have a gorgeous texture, smooth and crunchy. The baby greens are pretty, as well as tasty in a mixed green salad.

Swiss Chard ‘Celebration’

Tall plants with broad, crinkled leaves in shades of dark green are supported by strikingly colorful stalks in yellow, red, orange, and pink.
Large, glossy, ruffled leaves are green with multicolored stems and mid-ribs.
common-name common name Swiss Chard ‘Celebration’
botanical-name botanical name Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris ‘Celebration’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height Up to 20”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Milder than mustards or turnip greens, Swiss chard has a delicate flavor and tender, crunchy stalks. It also has good heat tolerance if you give it some afternoon shade in the summer. It’s frost tolerant, so you can plant this just about any time of year for a continuous harvest. Directly sow these seeds as soon as the soil reaches 40°F (4°C). 

Chard is tasty and an attractive plant in general. I’m quite partial to the colorful varieties, though, and ‘Celebration’ is one of the most stunning. Large, glossy, ruffled leaves are green with multicolored stems and mid-ribs. You’ll get shades of pink, red, orange, white, and yellow from this variety.

Cabbage ‘Red Acre’

A small plant with purple, round leaves and visible veins, surrounded by soil.
‘Red Acre’ is a compact variety, so it’s great for raised beds and containers.
common-name common name Cabbage ‘Red Acre’
botanical-name botanical name Brassica oleracea ‘Red Acre’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 5”-7”
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Finally, a garden is not a garden without a few plump heads of cabbage. After all, you’ll absolutely wow at the BBQ when you show up with a tangy coleslaw fresh from your vegetable patch. Cabbages take a minute to mature, so they need a fair amount of time. Planting these in January in the South will ensure they are ready to harvest by Memorial Day weekend. 

Personally, red cabbage is my favorite. I don’t know if it’s the flavor I prefer, but I can tell you, I love to see those round, jewel-toned spheres in my garden. ‘Red Acre’ is a compact variety, so it’s great for raised beds and containers. They are resistant to splitting and have a long storage life.

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