It's a new year, and whether you're stepping into your garden full of excited energy from the holidays or it's a little too cold outside for your liking, I'm here to help you get things in shape and plan for the months ahead.
January in Zone 10 is certainly not a dormant time, though it's less active than the bursts of fall or spring. In my garden right now, all the leaves have fallen from my pomegranate trees, but my citrus is producing wonderfully and absolutely full of flowers. Many of my spring vegetables are poking through and starting to come together, including old ranunculus corms and garlic and onion sets I'd completely forgotten about.
This is a time where you can absolutely be growing if you'd like, but more importantly, it's the perfect moment for seed starting and getting your plans into action.
Get Your Seeds and Sets in Order
If you were ahead of the game back in November or December and already ordered seeds and sets for the new year, that's fantastic, but if you didn't have time for that, don't worry. Now is the time to do it.
Unlike gardeners in colder zones, we can start putting tomatoes and peppers in the ground within the next month, though you don't need to sprint because we have a more luxurious timeline than other zones do (sorry cold zone gardeners, if you’re reading this). That said, if you want to get the most out of your garden, now is certainly the time to start those seedlings.
If you’ve been gardening for a couple seasons or years, now is the time to look back on what worked for you in the past, and find a nice balance of new vs. tried and true varieties. If you're a new gardener, or just looking to mix things up, check in with gardeners in your area or browse online to find varieties you'd like to grow (I’ll provide a few of my favorites down below).
Planting For Spring & Planning for Summer
It might be a bit sacrilegious, but I don’t really think of “winter” in Zone 10, because our winter is what most zones consider spring, as far as temperatures go. You can direct sow an endless varieties of legumes, plant some more onion & garlic sets, start a fresh batch of potatoes, or throw out some wildflower seeds. That said, you can think of your planting as pre-summer preparation. If you're ambitious, you can get stuff into the ground, but more likely than not, just focus on seed starting, buying your seeds and sets, and thinking about what you really want to grow in the coming season.
Tomatoes
Speaking specifically to tomatoes, which are a true love of mine, I think a mixture of indeterminate and determinate varieties is a fun and sustainable approach. Though I'm certainly guilty of planting far more indeterminates than determinates, this year I'm planning more bush and patio varieties to see how they behave compared to my normal jungle of indeterminate tomatoes (everyone in my life was getting ziploc bag fulls of sungolds for months in 2025).
As far as how to categorize your tomato growing, if you have the space for many, I would say strike a balance between three categories: slicers, sauce tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.
Slicers are your classic sandwich tomatoes, perfect for a BLT or any good sandwich. Berkeley Tie Dye is my absolute favorite, as they're equal parts rich, delicious, and beautiful. Cherokee Purple is another huge favorite and delivers that rich, complex flavor people love.
As for your sauce tomatoes Romas, San Marzanos, and Amish Pastes are all really great varieties to grow, with options in both determinate and indeterminate forms. These are the workhorses that'll fill your pantry with homemade sauce all year.
Finally, there are the cherry tomatoes, and for me, the greatest of them all are the Sungold and the Sun Sugar. Save for the people who are pathologically insane, everyone is bound to enjoy these beautiful little delights, and they’re sweet that when dehydrated they legitimately taste like candy. Other favorite varieties include Black Krim, Sweet 100s, Campari, and Indigo Rose. I'm certainly partial to anthocyanin-rich tomatoes, and if you don't mind a little controversy, the Purple Tomato is always a great one. Likely everyone who reads this will have heard of 100 other tomato varieties, and ultimately what things boil down to is that home grown will always be better than store bought, so grow a mixture of the three categories and you’ll be fine.
Peppers
While tomatoes are undoubtedly the reigning crop of the forthcoming summer garden, I would contend that peppers are a close second. Don’t worry, I'm aware that everyone's spice tolerance exists on a spectrum, so I’ll provide varieties for everyone.
Habaneros, jalapeños and serranos are my 3 favorite varieties to grow on the spicy side, with chocolate habaneros being my favorite pepper of all time. On the non-spicy to minimally spicy size any bell pepper or poblano will bring a lot of home grown flavor to your cooking and salsa, and if you still yearn for the flavor of spice (without the pain) try habanadas, and nadapeños. As the name suggests they have all the flavor of their spicy counterparts, but are bred to have no capsaicin.
Don’t forget - here in Zone 10, peppers can easily be perennials. My Carolina Reapers that I decided to leave in place are actually growing into year two now, while the serranos pictured have been growing here for almost four years.
Other Summer Crops
Beyond peppers and tomatoes, think about what else excites you for summer. I currently have potatoes growing, and now is a great time to plant them as well. Eggplants, zucchini, and summer squash are all worth considering if those are crops you love, but I would wait a month or two before starting those seeds as many gourds are very sensitive to spring mildew. My only exception would be loofah / luffa, as it was an eternity to sprout and get going. Otherwise, save that energy for when the weather is consistently warm.
Add Fruit Trees and Perennials
If you're planning on adding any fruit trees or perennial plants to your garden in the new year, now is a good time to both shop for them and stick them in the ground, provided there's no frost coming. Bare root season is in full swing at nurseries, and you'll often find the best selection and prices right now.
Fruit trees planted in winter have time to establish their root systems before the heat of summer arrives, which gives them a much stronger start. Whether you're dreaming of citrus, stone fruits like peaches or plums (with appropriate chill hours), or even figs and pomegranates, January is your first window.
The same goes for perennial herbs, flowering plants, and any long-term additions to your landscape. Artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb, and perennial herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano all benefit from winter planting. They'll settle in slowly, build strong roots, and reward you for years to come.
Take a walk through your garden and think about where you have room for something permanent. Consider what you'd love to harvest year after year without replanting, and make it happen now while the conditions are ideal.
Wrapping Up
January in Zone 10 is about setting yourself up for success. The garden is still producing in some ways and resting in others, but underneath it all, the rhythm of the season is building toward the warmth ahead. Use this time to plan thoughtfully, order what you need, and start those seeds when you're ready. If you've been dreaming of adding fruit trees or perennials, get them in the ground now while they have the best chance to establish.
The work you put in now will shape your garden for the rest of the year, so take a breath, enjoy the cooler weather, and let yourself dream a little. Whether you're starting tomato seeds, planting a new citrus tree, or simply sketching out ideas for summer, January is the month where intention meets opportunity.
