We all know its better to be organised when faced with a big task (or lots of little tasks), and this is certainly the case with gardening and planting.
Pre-planning your gardening and growing calendar year ahead is essential to minimise stress and maximise your enjoyment and your plant crop yield.
Gardening as you might already know is great for your physical health and your mental wellbeing, so planning out your calendar year will help you get the most out of your growing garden.
Sitting down and setting out the tasks for each month this calendar year isn’t as daunting or time consuming as it sounds. It will help you keep on top of all the little jobs in your garden and allow you to make the most of your valuable free time.
See below our month-by-month suggestions to keep your garden and plants looking beautiful this coming calendar year.
January
The first calendar month of the new year is the perfect time to begin your garden decluttering and organising.
Why not clear out your garden shed or greenhouse. Clean and sort out grow pots and planting tools, writing a list of any new items you need for the new growing season and any new plants you want to try out this calendar year.
Don’t forget to check on any plants you have growing and make sure your frost protection fleece is still in place. January is one of the coldest months in the UK and protecting your growing plants from frost is crucial.
February
It is nearly spring; the days are getting longer, and you can hear the birds chirping again. Ensure your garden bird feeders are full.
This is the calendar month to plan your growing season and any garden changes such as layouts. New climbing plants such as honeysuckle can be planted and hardy bright annuals such as poppies and calendulas, ready to add some summer colour.
You can now begin planting some of your vegetable garden such as; seed potatoes, garlic, broad beans and lettuce. These will do well in a greenhouse or growhouse for an earlier harvest.
Apply general fertilisers and Strulch to help soil and plant quality and suppress weed growth ready for the spring.
March
Happy spring! The gardener’s growing season is finally hear. This calendar month your garden will awake from its winter slumber and start showing signs of life again.
Make the most of the extra hours of sunlight this calendar month and the rise in temperatures by weeding and catching any pesky garden weeds before they are established. You can now start applying biological controls such as nematodes to keep garden pests from ruining your lawn and newly growing plants.
This calendar month, roses can be planted, and you can begin planting your edible plants such as onions and leeks. If you have a greenhouse or cold frame with a heater you can also plant and grow aubergines, tomatoes, cucumbers and chillies
April
This is an exciting growing calendar month as spring really comes into focus. Sunny days should become more regular although showers will creep in occasionally. However, this mix of sunshine and rainfall is perfect to refresh your wintery growing garden. Plants will start to grow more rapidly. Unfortunately, this includes weeds; keep borders weed-free and mulch to help suppression. Daffodils will need to be deadheaded if they start to fade.
Prune any early flowering shrubs and trim back any frost damaged plants.
Apply a good quality rose fertiliser to ensure better growth and flowering.
Keep an eye out this calendar month, for early aphid attacks and treat if needed either using biological controls such as ladybirds or Ultrafine Veggiemesh Insect Netting.
You can direct sow edible plants this calendar month, such as parsnip, spinach, radish, lettuce, carrots, and beetroot.
May
This is one of the greatest calendar months for gardening and growing, your garden will be really coming to life now, helped by the wonderful weather. Many of your garden plants will be fast growing in preparation for summer just around the corner. Your hard garden work during the colder months will start to pay off this month.
This month don’t forget to weed and trim back as needed. Protect young growing plants from slugs and snails with barriers or nematodes.
This calendar month remember to place netting over fruit plants to stop animals eating the growing crop. Place strulch under strawberry plants to suppress weeds growing and lift fruit above soil or use a plant mat/collar.
May is your final opportunity to lay any new grass until Autumn if you want to avoid frequent watering.
June
Longer days and gorgeous weather this calendar month, mean that summer is finally here. You can start to enjoy your efforts with a beautiful blooming garden.
This calendar month is the time to dust off the old garden furniture or invest in some new sets.
The glorious weather means you can now move out your growing tomato and courgette plants from your greenhouse or growhouse and plant them outside in your garden.
Remember to feed and water your ever-growing lawn during droughts and dry spells. Using a sprinkler or automatic watering system can save you time and money.
Towards the end of June, you can begin harvesting your fully grown edible plants such as lettuces, radishes, onions and early potatoes. Storing your potatoes properly will ensure they last longer and stay delicious.
See part two of this calendar blog for helpful gardening and growing hints for the rest of the calendar year.