Although it is cold outside, the early months of the year are important for getting your garden off to a good start. The following gardening tips are provided by the Alameda County Master Gardeners. http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/ Stop by the Master Gardeners’ Trials Gardens located in the Edible Garden. 

January

• Plan your summer garden. For vegetable variety recommendations for areas near coastal California, consider the recommendations from our test garden. Another useful resource for gardeners whose plots are influenced by the San Francisco Bay’s maritime weather is Plant Recommendations West of the East Bay Hills.
• Buy seeds.
• Plant bare root fruit and shade trees, roses, shrubs and vines. For information of fruit tree varieties, check out UC Davis’ Home Orchard site.
• Plant bare root artichokes, asparagus, blackberries, grapes, raspberries, rhubarb and strawberries.
• Start seeds (indoors) of cool season leafy vegetables (lettuce, Swiss chard, spinach, etc), Brassica family crops (broccoli, spring cabbage, cauliflower, etc.) and leeks.
• Prune dormant deciduous plants such as flowering vines, fruit and shade trees, grapes, roses
  and hydrangeas.
• Prune salvias, penstemons, butterfly bush, California fuchsia and other summer-blooming perennial shrubs