Gardening Calendar

January

A time for preparation:

sharpen secateurs,

repair tools, order plants,

double dig food plots,

prepare seed boxes.

February

Clip hedges,

prune orchard fruits,

plant garlic, artichokes and shallots,

make new beds and borders,

take time to enjoy the snowdrops.

March

Spring clean the garden,

sow seeds for summer,

plant early flowering plants,

sow lettuce, rocket radishes,

and early varieties of carrots and peas.

April

Bulbs are flowering,

hoe flower beds to keep the weeds out,

plant strawberries, fertilize roses,

borders, hedges, trees and shrubs.

May

Look out for and deal with pests,

trim hedges, plant and train sweet pea,

plant tubs, troughs and window boxes/

June

It’s summer: deadhead plants and water regularly, harvest peas, asparagus and early potatoes, dig up bulbs and store for autumn planting.

July

Strawberries are ready for picking,

cut and dry herbs, prune and deadhead

roses, feed tomatoes.

August

Take cuttings of shrubs and herbs,

harvest crops as they become ready,

look out for butterflies, sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

September

Plant daffodil bulbs, pick blackberries, evergreen shrubs can be lifted and moved now, start a compost heap from autumn clearing.

October

Pick apples and pears, feed the birds,

clear away old rubbish and leaves and put on compost heap.

November

Harvest leeks and turnips,

remove moss from pathways,

lag outdoor taps and water pipes,

check for hedgehogs hibernating

beneath bonfire heaps.

December

Plant winter hanging baskets,

clean up and organize tool shed,

rake up last of leaves,

cut shoots for indoor decoration.