Lesson 6
The year on a page
Set your region to personalise this lesson.
Once you know your last frost date, the whole gardening year can fit on a single page. This is the rhythm experienced growers use without thinking — and you'll have it by the end of one season of doing.
12 months in one breath (northern hemisphere; flip for southern)
- January — plan, order seeds, prune fruit trees, clean tools.
- February — sow chillies and aubergines indoors; chit potatoes.
- March — sow tomatoes, sweet peas, hardy annual flowers; prune roses.
- April — sow main crops under cover; plant first early potatoes; harden off.
- May — plant out tender crops after last frost; sow direct beans, squash; pinch dahlias.
- June — water deeply; succession-sow salads; dead-head religiously.
- July — harvest harvest harvest; sow autumn crops; save sweet pea seed.
- August — sow winter salads; lift garlic; take softwood cuttings.
- September — sow hardy annuals for next year; plant first spring bulbs.
- October — clear summer crops; plant tulips; mulch tender plants.
- November — final tulip planting; clean and store tools; bring tender plants under cover.
- December — rest, plan, read seed catalogues. The season starts again.
Print this list and tape it inside your shed or seed drawer. After one full year you'll know which months you over- or under-did.