Skip to main content

These plants should be among the first you plant this year

Grow these plants to get a jump on gardening

It’s a new year, which means we’re about to enter a new growing season! If you’re planning out your first garden of the year, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the options. There are so many plants to choose from, and every year new hybrids and varieties are introduced to the market. If thinking of all those plants makes your head spin, don’t worry. You’re not alone. We’ve got some recommendations to help narrow things down to start your new year planting season off right.

Crocus flowers blooming in snow

Early-blooming flowers

Flowers that bloom early in spring or late in winter are great choices to plant. Due to their bloom time, they’re often cold resistant, and they can add a bright pop of color to break up the smooth whites and browns of winter. If you’re growing them from seed, it’s best to plant them in the fall. However, you can often find seedlings or mature plants in nurseries early in the year.

Some great early-blooming flowers are:

  • Crocus
  • Snowdrops
  • Daffodils
  • Violets
A Brussels sprout plant with snow on it

Slow-growing fruits and veggies

If you plan on growing a lot of fruits and vegetables, you should be aware that some of them grow very slowly. In order to harvest them on time, plan to plant them early in the year. While some are sensitive to the cold and may need to start indoors, others can be planted directly in the soil as soon as it thaws enough to dig in!

Here are a few slow-growing plants to consider planting early:

  • Brussels sprouts
  • Artichokes
  • Asparagus
A garden bed of tall spinach plants

Quick-growing cold-resistant fruits and veggies

If you’re already craving fresh fruits and veggies, you might want to focus on cold-tolerant plants that grow quickly. Planting these will let you get in a few quick harvests before many other fruits and vegetables are even ready to be planted! You can start the seeds indoors or plant them in early winter. However, to add them to your garden early in the year, check your local nursery for seedlings and nearly mature plants.

Look for these plants in particular:

  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Turnips
A patch of hairy vetch

Cover crops

If you plan to leave your garden empty for a time, then planting a cover crop can be helpful. Cover crops prevent wind and rain from washing away soil, but they can also return nutrients to the soil, giving your new planting season a boost. Many gardeners plant winter cover crops at the end of fall, but depending on your climate, you can still plant some of them in January.

Some cover crops are better suited for warm weather, but here are a few you can grow while it’s cold out:

  • Winter rye
  • Vetch
  • Red clover
  • Austrian winter peas

With proper planning, you can get a jump on this year’s growing season and bring your garden to life early! Whether you prefer flowers or vegetables, or just plan to leave your garden alone for a few months, this guide can help you get started. Some of these plants can even grow indoors, so if the weather where you live is still too cold to get out and garden, that doesn’t have to stop you from getting a jump on your new year of gardening.

Editors' Recommendations

Cayla Leonard
Cayla Leonard is a writer from North Carolina who is passionate about plants.  She enjoys reading and writing fiction and…
Focus on color: The most vibrantly purple plants to add to your garden this season
Want more purple in your garden? Try these gorgeous plants and flowers
A field of lavender flowers

Purple is a popular color when it comes to flowers, and it's easy to see why. With lighter shades that can relax and soothe you, darker shades that add depth, and bright purples that are exciting and cheery, there is a purple flower for any garden. For flower bed layering, purple blooms also provide your garden with bold, yet not-too-overwhelming pops. To find the most beautiful purple plants out there and learn how to care for them, read about our top purple plant picks ahead.

Lavender
We couldn’t write a list of purple plants and not include lavender! Lavender is an incredibly hardy plant that's typically perennial in climate zones 5 through 9. Its delicate purple blooms and calming fragrance are highlights of its appeal, but they aren’t the only ones. Lavender is also an easy plant to take care of. It grows prolifically and is incredibly forgiving with occasional bouts of neglect. It appreciates full sun and well-draining soil for lush expansion across your garden bed. You only need to water it when its soil feels dry—there's not much need to fertilize it, as mixing in compost when you first plant it should be sufficient.

Read more
The low-maintenance vegetable garden: 5 unique perennial vegetable plants that produce year after year
Amazing perennial veggies to plant in your vegetable garden
Person holding produce in a bowl over vegetable garden

If you're looking to plant a vegetable garden that's low maintenance and sustainable, incorporating perennial vegetable plants is a great idea. Many of them are packed with nutrients and can offer visual interest and other benefits to your garden. Let's explore the upside of growing perennial vs. annual vegetables, discuss which ones to plant, and the delicious recipes you can make with each of them.

Benefits of perennial vs. annual vegetable plants
Perennial vegetable plants are plants that live for more than two growing seasons and continue to produce edible parts year after year. There are a ton of benefits when it comes to perennial vs. annual vegetable gardens:

Read more
How to grow better tomatoes: This TikTok tip will help your garden thrive
Grow stunning tomatoes with this simple trick
Ripe tomatoes on a vine

There are tons of places across the internet you can go to for great gardening tips, and TikTok is quickly rising through the ranks. While not every video is a winner, we’ve found one we think you’ll love! The TikTok video below from GardeningSimplified explains how to grow tomatoes more easily through the use of companion planting. Not sure what companion planting is or how it works? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

What is companion planting?
Companion planting is simply the technique of planting veggies and other plants near each other. Plants that have similar preferences for things such as water, sun, and soil type typically make good companion plants. Pairings, where one plant provides a benefit to the other, make exceptionally good partners. These benefits could include adding nutrients to the soil, providing shade, or even keeping pests away.

Read more