This Month in the Garden
A month-by-month UK gardening calendar — the jobs that matter, what to sow, what to plant and what to pick, right through the year.
January in the Garden
The garden is dormant, but the year starts here — planning, pruning and getting ahead on mild days pays off all season.
Jobs to do
- Plan beds and order seeds for the year
- Prune apple and pear trees while dormant
- Clean, sharpen and oil your tools
- Firm in any plants lifted by frost
- Feed the birds daily and break ice on baths
- Force rhubarb under a bucket for a sweeter, earlier crop
Sow now
- Chillies and sweet peppers (heated propagator)
- Onions from seed (with heat)
- Broad beans under cover
- Sweet peas in a cold frame
Plant now
- Bare-root trees, roses and hedging
- Garlic on light, free-draining soils
Harvest now
- Parsnips
- Leeks
- Kale
- Brussels sprouts
- Winter cabbage
February in the Garden
Light levels lift and the first proper sowings begin — the last quiet month before spring breaks.
Jobs to do
- Chit early potatoes on a bright windowsill
- Prune roses and late-summer clematis (Group 3)
- Prune wisteria side-shoots back to two buds
- Cut back ornamental grasses before new growth
- Mulch borders while the soil is moist
- Wash pots and greenhouse glass ready for sowing
Sow now
- Tomatoes and chillies with heat
- Broad beans
- Early peas in guttering
- Lettuce under cover
- Sweet peas
Plant now
- Bare-root trees and hedging
- Rhubarb crowns
- Shallots in mild areas
- Snowdrops 'in the green'
Harvest now
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Leeks
- Kale
- Forced rhubarb
March in the Garden
Spring kicks off — the soil warms, sowing starts in earnest and the lawn wakes up hungry.
Jobs to do
- Give the lawn its first light cut on a high setting
- Mulch borders to lock in moisture
- Prune bush roses and colourful dogwood stems
- Start dahlia tubers into growth under cover
- Feed roses, shrubs and hedges as growth starts
- Start slug patrols before seedlings appear
Sow now
- Tomatoes indoors
- Hardy annuals
- Carrots, beetroot and spinach under fleece
- Salads and herbs
Plant now
- Early potatoes (late March)
- Onion sets and shallots
- Summer bulbs like lilies
Harvest now
- Purple sprouting broccoli
- Spring cabbage
- Last of the leeks and parsnips
- Rhubarb
April in the Garden
Everything accelerates — sow, plant and mow weekly, but keep the fleece handy for late frosts.
Jobs to do
- Mow weekly and give the lawn its spring feed
- Overseed bare and thin patches while soil is moist
- Divide overgrown perennials
- Stake tall perennials early, before they flop
- Stay on top of early slugs and snails
- Tie in climbers as they take off
Sow now
- Maincrop carrots and beetroot
- Salads every fortnight
- Courgettes, pumpkins and sweetcorn indoors
- French beans indoors late in the month
Plant now
- Maincrop potatoes
- Asparagus crowns
- Strawberries
Harvest now
- Spring greens
- Radishes
- Rhubarb
- First asparagus late in the month
May in the Garden
Frost fades and the garden fills out fast — bedding, baskets and non-stop growth.
Jobs to do
- Harden off and plant out bedding once frosts pass
- Hang baskets and fill containers
- Earth up potatoes as shoots emerge
- Try the Chelsea chop on late-flowering perennials
- Open greenhouse vents on warm days
- Mow weekly and trim lawn edges
Sow now
- Beans, sweetcorn and courgettes direct (late May)
- Successional salads
- Biennials like foxgloves and wallflowers
Plant now
- Tomatoes outdoors at the end of the month
- Summer bedding
- Dahlias out after the last frost
Harvest now
- Asparagus
- Early salads and radishes
- First strawberries under cloches
June in the Garden
Peak growing season — keep on top of watering, deadheading and the mower, and harvests begin in earnest.
Jobs to do
- Water new plants and containers in dry spells
- Deadhead regularly to keep blooms coming
- Feed tomatoes weekly once the first truss sets
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after flowering
- Pinch out side-shoots on cordon tomatoes
- Net soft fruit before the birds find it
Sow now
- Successional salads, beetroot and carrots
- French beans direct
- Biennials for next year
Plant now
- Leeks into their final spots
- Autumn and winter brassicas
- Sweetcorn in blocks
Harvest now
- Strawberries
- Broad beans
- Early peas
- New potatoes
- Elderflower for cordial
July in the Garden
High summer — water smart, harvest constantly and keep the colour coming with a feed and a deadhead.
Jobs to do
- Water containers daily in hot weather, mornings if you can
- Keep deadheading and picking to prolong cropping
- Trim hedges once you're sure nesting has finished
- Raise the mower height in dry spells
- Feed tomatoes, baskets and hungry crops weekly
- Top up ponds and bird baths in heatwaves
Sow now
- Spring cabbage
- Chicory and kohl rabi
- Autumn salads
- A last row of fast carrots
Plant now
- Strawberry runners for next year
- Autumn brassicas
Harvest now
- New potatoes
- Courgettes
- Tomatoes
- Raspberries and currants
- Beans
- Garlic as leaves yellow
August in the Garden
Hot and generous — harvests peak, seed heads ripen and it's time to start eyeing up autumn.
Jobs to do
- Keep watering pots and new plants — daily in heat
- Collect and dry seed from favourite plants
- Summer-prune wisteria and trained fruit
- Trim lavender lightly after flowering
- Cut summer-fruiting raspberry canes that have fruited
- Order spring bulbs before the good ones sell out
Sow now
- Green manures on empty beds
- Spring cabbage
- Winter salads
- Japanese onion sets late in the month
Plant now
- New strawberry beds
- Autumn crocus and colchicums
Harvest now
- Tomatoes
- Sweetcorn
- Plums
- Runner and French beans
- Onions
- Courgettes before they become marrows
September in the Garden
The turning point — lawns get their big autumn renovation and spring bulbs go in while the soil is warm.
Jobs to do
- Scarify, aerate and overseed worn lawns
- Switch to an autumn lawn feed (low nitrogen)
- Plant spring bulbs — daffodils, crocus, alliums
- Divide congested perennials
- Clear finished summer crops and compost them
- Net ponds before the leaves start to fall
Sow now
- Hardy annuals
- Sweet peas in a cold frame
- Winter lettuce under cover
- Green manures
Plant now
- Spring bulbs (hold tulips until later)
- Wallflowers and spring bedding
- New perennials and shrubs while soil is warm
Harvest now
- Maincrop potatoes
- Apples and pears
- Autumn raspberries
- Last tomatoes
- Squash as skins harden
October in the Garden
Leaves down, bulbs in, garden to bed — the tidy-up month that pays for itself in spring.
Jobs to do
- Rake fallen leaves into a bin for leaf mould
- Give the lawn a final, higher cut and clear leaves off it
- Lift and store dahlias and cannas after the first frost
- Clean the greenhouse and insulate for winter
- Insulate outdoor taps and drain irrigation lines
- Move tender plants under cover before hard frosts
Sow now
- Broad beans (Aquadulce types)
- Sweet peas
- Winter salads under cover
Plant now
- Tulips from now on
- Garlic
- Winter pansies and violas
- Bare-root season starts late in the month
Harvest now
- Pumpkins and squash before frost
- Apples
- The last beans
- First leeks
November in the Garden
Frost arrives — protect what's tender, plant what's dormant and keep the wildlife fed.
Jobs to do
- Clear leaves off the lawn and beds
- Finish planting tulips
- Wrap tender plants and pots in fleece
- Clean and store tools for winter
- Put out high-energy bird food and fresh water
- Mulch borders to protect roots from frost
Sow now
- Broad beans
- Sweet peas in a cold frame
Plant now
- Bare-root trees, roses and hedging
- Tulips
- Winter bedding
- Garlic — still time
Harvest now
- Parsnips (sweeter after frost)
- Leeks
- Kale
- Brussels sprouts
- Winter cabbage
December in the Garden
The quiet month — plan next year over the seed catalogues, prune the fruit trees and look after the birds.
Jobs to do
- Plan next year's garden and order seeds early
- Prune apples, pears and grapevines while dormant
- Apply a winter wash to fruit trees
- Check stored crops, bulbs and tubers for rot
- Keep off the lawn when it's frosted or sodden
- Feed the birds daily and break ice on baths
Sow now
- Onions with heat (the Boxing Day tradition)
Plant now
- Bare-root trees and hedging in frost-free spells
- Rhubarb crowns
Harvest now
- Parsnips
- Brussels sprouts
- Leeks
- Kale
- Winter salads under cover