What to Do in Your Central Texas Garden (January 16–31): Weird Weather, Weeds & Winter Prep
Welcome back, gardening friends! In this episode of the ATXGardens Podcast, landscape consultant and certified arborist Colleen Dieter walks you through exactly what to focus on in the second half of January—one of the weirdest winters Central Texas has seen in a while. With unusually warm temps, few freezes, and little rain, gardening instincts alone aren’t always enough. This episode is your steady guide through climate confusion.
❄️ Weather Weirdness & Winter Instincts
This winter has been anything but normal. Some gardeners are still harvesting tomatoes and peppers, while others have already pulled out warm-season crops. Colleen explains why microclimates—like warmer parts of town—matter and why paying attention to what your own garden is doing is more important than ever.
🌱 Winter Weeds to Watch: Burr Clover
A big focus right now is burr clover, a low-growing winter weed with clover-like leaves and burrs that stick to socks and pets. Colleen explains how to identify it early and remove it while it’s still small using tools like:
Fiskars Uproot Weeder
Hori Hori knife
Digging fork
Winter is the best time to win the weed battle—before plants get big, thorny, and annoying.
✂️ Tool Prep for Pruning Season
February is major pruning month, so January is your prep time. Colleen encourages you to:
Inventory your pruning tools
Sharpen and oil pruners and loppers
Reduce strain on your hands, wrists, and shoulders
Sharp tools = healthier plants and a healthier gardener.
🌳 Trees, Shrubs & Roses
Now is prime planting season for:
Trees
Shrubs
Roses
Colleen shares a visit to Natives of Texas Nursery in Kerrville, where she picked up rare native trees like smoke trees. She also suggests planting small ornamental trees near windows for beauty and shade—her favorite? Rusty blackhaw viburnum.
🌹 Getting Ready for Rose Season
February is rose pruning and feeding time, so start prepping now:
Get a soil test if you haven’t had one in 3–5 years
Stock up on compost
Roses prefer slightly acidic soil—use soil sulfur
Water sulfur in with liquid humate or compost tea
Next episode will cover rose pruning step-by-step.
🍎 Fruit Trees: Dormant Oil, Pruning & Planting
Late January is your last window to:
Spray dormant oil or neem oil (only if trees are fully dormant and temps will stay above freezing for 3 days)
Do NOT spray after February 1 or once buds, flowers, or leaves appear
Why prune fruit trees?
Control size for easy harvesting
Improve air and light flow
Reduce pests and disease
Encourage fruiting branches
Key tips:
Don’t remove more than 25% of the tree in one year
Remove vertical “water sprouts”
Favor horizontal fruiting branches
It’s still a great time to plant:
Stone fruits: peaches, nectarines, plums
Pome fruits: apples, pears
🌼 Perennials in a Warm Winter
Warm winters make perennial care tricky. Many warm-season perennials may still be blooming, but cutting them back now has risks:
Pruning can trigger new growth
New growth is vulnerable to freezes
Old stems can protect new growth from cold
Colleen explains how to balance:
Your energy and schedule
Wildlife support
Risk of freeze damage
Goal: have warm-season perennials cut back by March 1–15.
🥕 Vegetable & Herb Garden
Right now you can:
Keep harvesting cool-season veggies
Start clearing beds for March planting
Replant greens and root crops if you’re willing to risk freeze damage
Late January is perfect for:
Onion sets (plant 4–6 inches apart)
Spring onions for quick harvest
🥔 Getting Ready for Potatoes
Potato season starts in February, so prep now:
Double-dig soil 12 inches deep
Use a digging fork or broadfork
Add compost
Potatoes like slightly acidic soil—use soil sulfur + liquid humate
🌸 Seeds, Cuttings & Flowers
Still time to:
Start peppers, tomatoes, eggplants indoors
Plant cilantro, dill, calendula outdoors (with freeze risk)
Plant ornamental sweet peas
Add nursery-grown wildflowers for spring color
📅 Events & Classes
January 31
Winter Maintenance Class — Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
(Sold out, but offered again next year)
Colleen also teaches for:
Garden clubs
Community groups
Organizations
Book speaking requests at: https://www.atxgardens.com/speaking-events
🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned
Hori Hori Knife: https://amzn.to/49bjbko
Digging Fork: https://amzn.to/4qLxB0C
Fiskars Uproot Weeder: https://amzn.to/49rHwkO
Natives of Texas Nursery: https://www.nativesoftexas.com
Dormant Oil: https://amzn.to/3LnKS0b
Soil Sulfur: https://amzn.to/3LfbIHR
Medina Liquid Humate: https://amzn.to/4qKGS9a
🌼 Stay Connected
For more Central Texas garden tips, visit http://ATXGardens.com , follow Colleen on Instagram @ATXGardens_, and subscribe to The ATXGardens Podcast for biweekly, season-specific gardening guidance straight from your favorite Austin garden consultant.
