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Seed starting by last frost date
Everything in the spring garden is timed from your average last frost. The March guide lists Clemson's figures for key cities: Raleigh around March 24, Charlotte March 21, Nashville March 17, Columbia March 16 and Atlanta March 13. Coastal areas are earlier. Clemson HGIC's starting-seeds-indoors fact sheet gives the weeks needed for each crop.
- Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower: start indoors in January for transplanting in late February and March in zones 7b–8.
- Peppers and eggplant: these are the slowest. Start about 8–10 weeks before setting out after the last frost, which means late January to early February in zones 7b–8.
- Tomatoes: start about 6–8 weeks before setting out, so late January to mid-February in most of the region. By March it is too late to start your own (see the March guide).
- Zones 9–10: per the UF/IFAS Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide, south Florida's spring tomatoes go in during January and February, and central Florida follows in February and March. Transplants started in December are ready now.
Seedlings need strong light. A bright windowsill rarely provides enough, and leggy plants are the usual result.
Cool-season planting outdoors
In the warmer parts of the region, the spring cool-season garden starts now.
- Coastal Carolinas and Georgia, Gulf Coast (zones 8b–9): NC State Extension in Pender County covers the first crops of the new year, such as onion transplants and early brassicas, along with timing for English peas and potatoes later in winter.
- Central Florida: UF/IFAS Hillsborough County lists the vegetables that do well in a January planting, a long list of greens, root crops and brassicas.
- Zones 7–8a: keep harvesting overwintered greens. Prepare beds on days when the soil isn't soggy, so they are ready for February planting.
Jiffy seed starter kit
January is when brassica, pepper and tomato seeds start indoors in most of the Southeast, and a kit with a heat mat and light avoids the leggy windowsill seedlings Extension warns about. See how we chose it.
Crape myrtle pruning: do it right
Late winter, before new growth starts, is the right time to prune crape myrtles. In January and February that time arrives across the region. Clemson HGIC's crape myrtle pruning fact sheet and UGA Extension both warn against "crape murder", which means topping trunks back to the same height every year. Topping causes:
- clusters of thin, weak sprouts that flop under the weight of blooms
- ugly knobs at the cut points
- no improvement in flowering, because crape myrtles bloom on new growth whether or not they are topped
Instead, remove suckers at the base, along with crossing, rubbing, inward-growing and dead branches. Cut back to a side branch or the trunk, not to a stub. If a crape myrtle is always too big for its spot, the long-term fix is a smaller cultivar, not yearly topping. UGA Extension lists other plants that are best pruned during winter dormancy.
Fixing a tree that has already been topped: you don't have to start over. At each knob, choose two or three well-spaced, outward-facing sprouts to become new branches, and remove the rest flush with the knob. Repeat for a few winters, thinning the new branches as they grow. Over time the tree regains a more natural shape. Cutting below the old knobs to remove them all at once usually just sets off another round of sprouting.
Fruit trees and small fruit
Apples and pears can be pruned from mid-winter on. Peaches and nectarines should wait. Clemson HGIC recommends pruning peaches in late winter, closer to bloom, because early pruning can increase cold injury. Do peaches last, in February.
- Plant bare-root fruit trees, blueberries and grapes while they are dormant and the soil is workable.
- Remove and destroy mummified fruit left on trees and on the ground. These shriveled fruits carry brown rot and other diseases into the spring.
- Blueberries: rabbiteye and southern highbush blueberries are pruned while dormant. Take out a few of the oldest, least productive canes at the base, plus dead, weak and crossing wood, so young canes keep replacing old ones.
- Figs: wait. Figs are prone to cold damage in the upper South, so prune them after the risk of hard freezes has passed and you can see which wood survived.
Prepare spring vegetable beds
February and March plantings go much better when the beds are ready ahead of time. On days when the soil is dry enough to crumble:
- Pull winter weeds such as henbit and chickweed before they flower and drop seed.
- Spread an inch or two of compost over beds. Work it in lightly, or leave it on top for worms to pull down.
- Apply lime only if a soil test calls for it. Southeastern soils are often acidic, but guessing can push pH too high.
- Build or repair raised beds in spots that stay wet. Spring crops planted in soggy clay rot or sit still.
Leave the soil alone when it is wet. Tilling or digging sticky clay damages its structure for the whole season. UGA Extension's vegetable garden calendar is a useful planning tool for mapping out what goes where and when.
Cold damage: wait to prune
January is often the coldest month. If shrubs or tropicals get burned by a freeze, leave the damaged growth in place. Per UF/IFAS Extension, dead leaves and stems help shield the rest of the plant from later freezes. It is also hard to tell what is truly dead until new growth appears in spring. Prune back to live tissue once buds break. Keep protecting tender plants on hard-freeze nights as described in the December guide.
Lawns and soil
Warm-season lawns are still dormant, so they get no fertilizer yet. The first feeding waits for green-up, as the March guide explains. Spot-treat or pull winter weeds on mild days, and mark your calendar for the crabgrass preemergence in late February or March.
This is also a good month to finish soil tests and spread lime the test calls for, so it can react before spring planting. Alabama Extension's January calendar also suggests catching up on tool maintenance and garden planning now.
- Mower service: sharpen the blade, change the oil and replace the air filter now, before the spring rush at repair shops.
- Ryegrass-overseeded lawns: mow as needed during mild spells, and don't fertilize the dormant warm-season grass underneath.
- Tall fescue: keep leaves and debris off it. It is green and photosynthesizing all winter.
Overwintering plants and planning
- Tender plants indoors: check tropicals and potted citrus that came inside in fall for scale, mealybugs and spider mites, which multiply in warm, dry indoor air. Water sparingly, and don't fertilize until days lengthen in late winter.
- Stored tubers and bulbs: look over stored dahlias, cannas and caladiums. Discard any that are soft or moldy.
- Rotation plan: map last year's beds and move tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and potatoes (all in the same family) to a different spot. Rotating crop families reduces soilborne disease buildup.
- Warm-season wish list: pick tomato varieties with disease resistance, and short-season types that ripen before summer heat stops fruit set (see the March guide). Place seed orders early. Popular varieties sell out.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Consequence | Correct approach |
|---|---|---|
| Topping crape myrtles | Weak sprouts, knobby trunks and no extra blooms | Remove only crossing, weak, inward and sucker growth |
| Pruning peaches in early winter | More cold injury to the tree | Prune peaches last, in late winter close to bloom |
| Cutting back freeze-browned shrubs in January | Exposes the plant to the next cold snap | Wait until spring growth shows what is alive |
| Starting tomatoes in January in zone 7b | Overgrown, root-bound transplants by late March | Count 6–8 weeks back from your planting date |
| Fertilizing dormant warm-season grass to green it up | Feeds winter weeds and stresses the turf | Wait until the lawn is at least half green |
Frequently asked
When should I prune crape myrtles in the Southeast?
In late winter, before new growth begins. That is January or February for most of the region. Prune for structure only and never top the trunks.
When do I start tomato seeds indoors in the Southeast?
About 6–8 weeks before your transplant date. For most of zones 7b–8 that means late January to mid-February. South Florida gardeners transplant spring tomatoes in January and February.
Should I cut off frozen leaves on my plants?
Not yet. UF/IFAS advises waiting until new spring growth shows how far back the damage goes. The dead material also gives some protection against later freezes.
Sources
- This Month in Your Garden – January 2025, Clemson HGIC
- Starting Seeds Indoors, Clemson HGIC
- Crape Myrtle Pruning, Clemson HGIC
- Crape Murder Season Is Upon Us, UGA Extension
- Pruning Peaches & Nectarines, Clemson HGIC
- Wait to Prune Cold Injured Landscape Plants, UF/IFAS Extension Okaloosa County
- Vegetables to Grow in January in Your Central Florida Garden, UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County
- Planting Winter's First Crops, NC State Extension