What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (January 1–15): Freeze Prep, Weeds & Bare Root Trees

Written By Colleen Dieter

Welcome back to The ATXGardens Podcast with Colleen Dieter of http://ATXGardens.com . In this episode, Colleen walks you through exactly what to do in the first half of January to keep your Central Texas garden healthy through winter—especially when freezes, winter weeds, and dormant-season pruning are in the mix.

❄️ Watch for Freezes + Protect Tender Plants

January gardening in Austin starts with one big job: monitoring the forecast. Colleen shares a simple reminder—be ready to move or cover tender tropicals and other non-cold-hardy plants when freezes are coming. She also points listeners to her November and December 2025 episodes for deeper freeze-protection guidance.

🌱 Winter Weeds: Catch Them Early

Winter weeds are sprouting, and Colleen’s biggest tip is to identify seedlings while they’re small. She calls out one specific troublemaker to watch for now:

🧦 Hedge Parsley (aka “Tall Sock Destroyer”)

Colleen explains why hedge parsley (Torilis arvensis) is a problem in Central Texas landscapes—especially in shade or part sun. It starts as an innocent-looking seedling (similar to carrots), grows into a plant with pretty white flowers, and then turns into burrs that stick to socks, pants, and pet fur. Her advice: pull it now, before it gets prickly and harder to remove.

She also shares a helpful comparison if you planted larkspur: hedge parsley seedlings are hairy and pointier, while larkspur seedlings are smooth with rounder leaves.

📦 Sheet Mulching: Set Up Your Spring Planting Areas Now

January is also a smart time to start sheet mulching—especially if you want new garden beds or walkways ready by spring. Colleen explains the basic method:

  • Cut down existing plants (turfgrass, weeds, wild plants)

  • Layer cardboard/newspaper/butcher paper

  • Wet it thoroughly

  • Add compost and mulch on top

By the time the cardboard breaks down, you’ll be set up for spring planting. She mentions she’ll include sheet mulching instructions on her website (linked in the show notes).

💧 Don’t Stop Watering New Plants

Even in winter, newly installed plants—especially young trees—still need water. Colleen recommends watering the whole landscape if it hasn’t rained in 2–3 weeks (common for Central Texas winters). Use your finger to check soil first: it should feel like a wrung-out sponge around new plants.

🌳 Trees + Woody Plants: Pruning + Planting Season

With trees dormant and leaves dropped, Colleen says it’s a great time to:

  • Prune trees (winter is prime time for trimming)

  • Plant trees, shrubs, and roses

She also mentions her upcoming tree pruning class at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center later this winter.

🍑 Bare Root Fruit Trees + Chill Hours (Don’t Skip This)

January is peak season for bare root fruit trees, and Colleen breaks down why they’re worth it:

  • Smaller trees are easier to shape and keep manageable for harvesting

  • Bare root trees often have fewer root defects than container trees

  • Younger fruit trees can mean longer productive lifespan (especially peaches/plums)

  • Ordering online can help you find the right varieties for Central Texas

🧊 Chill Hours Matter in Austin

Colleen explains chill hours—the number of winter hours between 32–45°F—and why your fruit tree variety has to match your location:

  • Austin (in town): roughly 450–600 chill hours

  • Outside town: often 600–700 chill hours

  • Too many required chill hours = tree may never bloom → no fruit

  • Too few required chill hours = blooms too early → freeze damage risk

She also shares the basic bare-root planting method: dig a wide hole, build a small soil “mountain,” spread roots around it, then backfill.

🪲 Dormant Oil Spray for Overwintering Pests

For fruit trees like peaches, plums, pears, apples, Colleen recommends a winter spray of dormant oil (or neem oil) on trunks and stems—when temps are forecast to stay above freezing for three days. It works by suffocating overwintering pests like aphids, mites, and scale, and can also help with some fungal issues.

🌾 Perennials: When to Cut Back (and How to Balance Wildlife)

Colleen shares realistic guidance on cutting back warm-season perennials (the ones that die back in winter and return in spring). Her rule of thumb: ideally, they should be cut down by March 1.

If you garden for wildlife, leaving dead material longer helps overwintering insects and sheltering animals. But she’s honest: February is short and chaotic—so she starts cutting back in January, cutting plants down fully and leaving a small stem as a marker.

She names examples like lantana, salvias (including Salvia leucantha), yellow bells, pride of Barbados, and more.

🥬 Veg + Herbs: Thin Seedlings and Start Harvesting

In early January, you may be able to start harvesting cool-season crops if you planted earlier. Colleen emphasizes thinning for greens and root crops so plants have room to grow—and reminds you that many thinnings (even radish tops) are tasty as microgreens.

She points listeners to seed packets and also mentions Howard Garrett’s Texas Vegetable Gardening book (linked in the show notes).

📅 Events + Classes Mentioned

Colleen shares several upcoming opportunities to learn in person:

  • Jan 8 (10:30) — Talk on seed saving, Highland Lakes Birding & Wildflower Society (Burnet County AgriLife Extension Center, Burnet TX): Learn more here

  • Jan 17 (9:30) — Tree pruning class, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Register here

  • Jan 31 (9:30) — Winter maintenance for native plants, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: Register here

🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

Colleen Dieter
Next

Episode 7: What to Plant (and Not Plant) in Central Texas in Late December