Month by Month Guide to your Garden
I have put together a quite basic “ what to do when” type gardening calendar – obviously in different parts of the country you will find that you are sowing/ planting/harvesting at different times but it might give you a few ideas or reminders. Anything I have wrong or need to add please feel free to contact me
January
Time to start sowing some of the peas and broad beans now as long as they are protected under a cloche
If growing bulb onions these can be sown now in the greenhouse.
Set up early potatoes to “chit”
Take root cuttings from perennials
Lawn care you can start spiking when not frosty
Prune trees and shrubs
Check up on the old lawn mower – does it need a bit of attention if so it’s probably best to get it in for repairs now rather than later.
February
Spinach and early carrots can go straight in the beds now but under cloches.
Start sowing parsley in pots in the green house later you can grow this outside but for now to keep you going in the kitchen. I keep sowing both basil and parsley in pots at two weekly intervals to make sure I always have a good supply.
Flowers
Start your tuberous begonias and gloxinias
Prune your late clematis to promote growth
Towards the end of the month you can start pruning your roses although it could be left till early March.
If planting in a heated greenhouse 18°C (65°F) you can start off some of your early tomatoes
March
Start sowing your salad and spring onions now for a good early crop in the soil
If you are going to grow asparagus now is the time to pop the crowns in
If you fancy some summer cabbage now is the time to sow those seeds.
If Brussels are what you fancy you can start sowing these too.
You can get a head start on your root veg now carrot turnips and beetroot they can go straight into the freshly raked bed.
If it’s not too wet you can pop potatoes and onion s in now too.
Flowers
Start off you fuchsia cuttings
Repot you potted roses with fresh enriched soil
When your winter heathers are finished give them a bit of a trim to keep them all compact
If your hebes have suffered badly you can cut them right back and as long as the root ball isn’t dead they should come again
Lawn care will include some reseeding of balding areas you may need to protect the area with a holey plastic cover, this will help with germination.
April
Continue to sow your salad Lettuces, etc to make sure you have a constant supply throughout the summer in the green house or under closhes
You can sow your cucumbers, courgettes and marrows, under glass
Believe it or not now is the time to start sowing your winter cabbages and early autumn cauliflowers in a seed trays
For a continuous supply of onions keep planting unless very wet
Plant up your main crop of potatoes and leeks outdoors
Give the whole garden a dose of fertilizer to stimulate growth
Plant your tomatoes on in the greenhouse or in cold frame – it’s still a bit chilly to let them grow outside yet
Flowers
Plant your gladioli corms now for a wonderful summer display
Dahlia tubers are safe to go in the ground now if all the frosts in your area are past.
Now’s the time to get those roses really going with a good dose of mulch and if you haven’t already a good prune.
May
Continue with seeding for your salad stuffs radishes and spring onions
French beans and runner beans can start to be sown at the end of this month
Your early autumn caulis will have grown into strong small plants by now and can go out into the prepared bed now
Your cucumbers, courgettes and marrows, can be planted out towards the end of the month
your tomatoes should really be coming along now and can be potted on again or planted in a prepared area under glass well supported.
Be wary of late frosts – we often in UK think winter’s all over and summer’s on its way and we all know what a late frost can do to your carefully tended young plants
Flowers
Most of your early flowering plants should be going over now so those may need deadheading and tidying up.
I always throw some fertilizer in the bulbs direction as they are shutting down to encourage a good yield next year
Plant hardy chrysanthemums now for a display in the autumn
Now is the time to give your lawn some attention, weed and feed to ensure a lush lawn in the summer
June
Your should have lovely strong plants of brussel sprouts and winter cabbages now and this is the time to plant them out. One word of warning I don’t eat brussels so had never grown them until a generous friends gave me some plants – my goodness did they take over – all I can say is they need space to grow.
Outside tomatoes can go in now well supported obviously
If you like your celery this can go in now too.
Be on the watch for pests and diseases as they start making themselves known about now.
Flowers
You can start sowing your winter flowering pansies now in the greenhouse along with your polyanthus
Weeding – well what more do I need to say – other than where does it all come from?
July
Take time to sit and look at all the beauty in your garden
Wild life Gardening – Well I don’t know about you in your garden but in mine we have had a profusion of birds this year. So many fledglings it has been such a privilege. Blue tits, coal tits, robins, blackbirds, starlings for our garden it has been magnificent I do hope it has been the same in yours. A vote of thanks to goes to a wonderful song thrush thatI spotted beating a snail to death yesterday morning!
Continue to sow salad crops as well as your herbs
You can start harvesting your garlic and the first of your onions now
Tomatoes – Keep feeding – You should be seeing the fruits of your labour now, and I have to say there really is nothing better than wandering past that hanging basket loaded with tiny toms and picking them fresh, just heavenly.Watch out for tomato diseases as they will be really setting in now
Pruning – It is a good time to prune back your shrubs and to feed them now as you don’t want them to become leggy during the rest of the summer.Cut back your perennials now to try and encourage a second flush. Keep your clematis in check by pruning
Pests – These seem to be out in numbers this year, and although I hesitate to use pesticides as I prefer natural predators if needs must. Is it me… but the ants and wasps seem abundant to the point of irritation, I have to own up to having resorted to ant killer on more than one occasion, they seem to be under every pot I lift. The beer traps are doing well for keeping the slugs away from my lettuce but some of them still seem to get through, probably teetotal slugs.
Planting - Autumn flowering crocus bulbs can be planted now for that last show of colour late in the season
Flowers
Roses – Black spot is getting a bit of a hold now so keep your eyes open for it. I hesitate to use sprays and prefer to just nip off the affected leaves in the early stages, sometimes that can be enough to keep it at bay. Keep deadheading and you’ll be rewarded with more blooms than ever.
Dahlias –This year I decided would be the year of the dahlia in my garden and wow have I been rewarded, top tip for keeping them in tip top condition tomato feed they love it every 10- 14 days.
August
Sit and enjoy a glass of something special and put your feet up
Harvest and enjoy all the fruits of your labour
Prune all your vigorous shrubs as they may be getting carried away
More weeding…..
Watering – morning watering is the best so your plants can use it during the day rather than overnight. Don’t forget to water your camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons otherwise the flower buds for next year may not develop properly.
Cuttings – great cost savers – for colour next year now is the time to take cuttings for verbenas, fuchsias and salvias Dip the cuttings into a hormone rooting compound before inserting them into small pots and over winter in a heated greenhouse or the window sill as long as it doesn’t get too chilly. It’s really getting to the last opportunity to collect your woody herb cuttings too. If you have any large clumps of chives it may be a good idea to divide these now and put them in some fresh pots with new compost. Make sure you plant up your strawberry runners for next year’s crop.
Pests – Rather than using pesticides try placing broken egg shells around plants to prevent damage from slugs and snails. Remove all dropped infected leaves from plants to prevent pests over wintering in the soil.
Planting – Start sowing lettuce winter spinach and spring cabbage,Plant bulbs like nerines for next year
Flowers -Dead head the roses to keep the flowers coming
September
Start preparing for the winter onset by sowing spring cabbages and carrots under cloches
Prepare to lift some of your earlier onions and plant new sets
Look after your lawn and scarify it to remove excess thatch
Flowers
Take any cuttings from the roses you may want to propagate
Give your borders a bit of an overhaul dividing and replanting
October
Enjoy harvesting your winter veggies
If you have apple trees you will be harvesting and storing your main crop now
This is the best time if you want to plant new trees or shrubs as they can really settle their roots in over the winter time
November
Garlic is best planted at this time of the year for a good harvest in the midsummer.
If you haven’t already this is the time to lift your leeks
If you are re- turfing your lawn this is the best time of year to consider doing it as it will have time to settle and develop a good deep root system.
This is the time you need to look around at the garden see what is vulnerable to frosts and protect them
If you are looking for an early pea crop you can start sowing now but under cloches
The leaves are falling so it is a good idea to keep on top of them you can either collect them and make leafmould or the latest thing is to put them on your borders so as it breaks down its returning the goodness to the soil
Flowers
If you want a lovely show of lilies next year this is the best time to plant them
December
Get those catalogues out to start planning for next year’s crops
If you want some blackberries in your garden to go with your mouth watering apples now is the time for pruning or planting
Deep cleaning the greenhouse is a real job and a half but it pays you back huge dividends. Washing out all the pots and clearing the whole place out washing down the glass in readiness for next year
Once all the cleaning is done it is a good time to get the bubble wrap out to insulate the green house