What to plant in January in the South

Worked out for 46 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in January in the South, by zone: frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (New Orleans, Baton Rouge and 1 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 28 more; frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (Atlanta, Charlotte and 19 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 21 more; frost possible, highs below 50 °F (Washington, D.C., Nashville and 20 more): broad bean, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower and 11 more.

In the South, January is winter.

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette

In January, on average, these cities have highs of 62 °F and lows of 44 to 47 °F, 4.5 to 6.0 in of rain on 10 to 12 days; the day lasts 10 h 23 min to 10 h 25 min (on the 15th).

January falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: New Orleans (January 22).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, daikon, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct	Spinach	Baton Rouge and Lafayette
start indoors, plant out in February	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in February	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, Napa cabbage, peanut	New Orleans
start indoors, plant out in April	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all

Compared with December: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, chickpea and 5 more; no longer sown — Brussels sprouts.

Not starting in January: green beans (February, sown direct) — dates for New Orleans.

Ready to harvest in January in New Orleans, if sown in the right month: broad bean (October), peas (November), lettuce (November), radish (December), carrot (November), Swiss chard (November), beet (November) and pumpkin (September).

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis, Raleigh and 17 more

In January, on average, these cities have highs of 50 to 61 °F and lows of 32 to 45 °F, 1.5 to 6.1 in of rain on 4 to 11 days; the day lasts 9 h 54 min to 10 h 23 min (on the 15th).

January falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Mobile (January 24).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, spinach, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, arugula, chamomile, daikon, kale, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct	Carrot, dill, mustard greens	Birmingham (United States), Savannah, Charleston and 9 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in March	Broccoli	Birmingham (United States), Savannah, Charleston and 10 more
start indoors, plant out in February	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in February or sow direct	Beet, kohlrabi	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	Savannah, Charleston, Jackson and 3 more
start indoors, plant out in February	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, Napa cabbage, peanut	Mobile
start indoors, plant out in March or sow direct	Parsley	all
sow direct	Cilantro	Savannah, Charleston, Mobile and 1 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all
sow direct	Turnip	Atlanta, Charlotte, Memphis and 12 more
start indoors, plant out in March	Brussels Sprouts	Atlanta, Charlotte, Raleigh and 3 more
sow direct	Chickpea	Savannah, Mobile and Gulfport

Compared with December: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, chickpea and 5 more; no longer sown — garlic, leek and chicory.

Not starting in January: green beans (April, sown direct) — dates for Birmingham (United States).

Ready to harvest in January in Birmingham (United States), if sown in the right month: broad bean (October), peas (November), spinach (November), lettuce (November), radish (December), carrot (November), Swiss chard (November) and beet (November).

Frost possible, highs below 50 °F: Washington, D.C., Nashville, Oklahoma City, Louisville and 18 more

In January, on average, these cities have highs of 40 to 49 °F and lows of 25 to 33 °F, 1.6 to 5.4 in of rain on 5 to 13 days; the day lasts 9 h 40 min to 10 h 05 min (on the 15th).

January falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait.

How	What	Where
start indoors, plant out in February	Broad bean, spinach, kohlrabi	all
sow direct	Peas, radish	Nashville, Oklahoma City, Richmond and 4 more
start indoors, plant out in February	Lettuce	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Oklahoma City and 16 more
start indoors, plant out in March	Cabbage, parsley, Brussels sprouts	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Broccoli	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Lexington and 7 more
start indoors, plant out in February	Cauliflower, Swiss chard, beet, arugula, chamomile, kale	Nashville, Oklahoma City, Louisville and 13 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Celeriac, celery, chayote	Washington, D.C., Nashville, Oklahoma City and 11 more

Compared with December: new — cauliflower, Swiss chard, beet, chamomile, kale, celeriac, celery and chayote; no longer sown — garlic, onion, leek, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip and turnip.

Not starting in January: tomato (February, started indoors), bell pepper (February, started indoors), zucchini (March, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Bowling Green.

Ready to harvest in January in Bowling Green, if sown in the right month: broad bean (October), peas (November), spinach (November), lettuce (November), radish (December), broccoli (October), Swiss chard (November) and beet (November).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in January and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in January if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.