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Find Out What To Do and Grow Each Month

January

Indoors

Sow onion seeds

Check you have all your seeds for the year ahead

Make mini-cloches by emptying & cleaning 1-or2- or 5-litre pop/squash/water bottles. Cloches protect young plants from slug, snail or bird attack and keep them safe from icy spring winds

Outdoors

Finish digging over your allotment garden.

Complete winter pruning of apples and pears

Take some photos of your allotment garden so you can see how your garden grows this year

February

Indoors

Sow early aubergines and capsicums, early summer green & red cabbages, early summer cauliflowers, early broad beans and early peas

Chit early potatoes (chitting is the same as sprouting, it means letting shoots grow from your potatoes)

Outdoors

Plant shallots and Jerusalem artichokes

Sow parsnips

March

Indoors

Sow celery, celeriac, brussel sprouts, late aubergines, greenhouse tomatoes.

Sprout maincrop potatoes

Transplant early aubergines and capsicums

Outdoors

Plant early potatoes, garlic bulbs.

Sow summer radish and lettuce under cloches. Sow second early peas, main crop broad beans, lambs lettuce and spring onions

April

Indoors

Pot on (put into larger pots) early capsicums and aubergines.

Transplant greenhouse tomatoes

Sow late summer greens, red cabbages, third set of early peas, late capsicums, outdoor tomatoes, melons, marrows, cold frame cucumbers pumpkins, courgettes, sweetcorn and early summer cauliflower

Outdoors

Plant out maincrop potatoes, onion sets (little onion bulbs that are

ready to grow), onion seedlings, early summer greens, red cabbages

and early summer cauliflowers

Sow spring onions, parsnips, early carrots, late summer cauliflowers, broccoli, first maincrop peas, autumn cabbage, early beetroot, first turnips, spinach, kale, leeks and parsley

Earth up new potatoes (using a hoe, drag soil over the potato shoots to make a ridge. This encourages the growth of more potatoes)

May

Indoors

Sow runner beans and transplant late capsicums and outdoor tomatoes

for hardening off later in the month.

Hardening off means putting plants outside and protecting them from frosts at night time. Cold frames or horticultural fleece protect plants from the worst effects of frost

Outdoors

Sow autumn cauliflowers, chicory, kale, second turnips, late carrots, Swedes, second maincrop peas, winter cabbage, summer spinach, French beans, late beetroot, kohl rabi.

Plant out late summer greens, brussel sprouts, red cabbage, sweet corn, greenhouse tomatoes, celery and celeriac

Harden off outdoor tomatoes, marrows, courgettes and pumpkins towards the end of the month

June

Outdoors

Sow runner beans, winter cauliflowers, spring cabbage, endive, third turnips and third main crop peas outdoors.

Plant out runner beans (protect them with mini cloches), leeks, late summer cauliflowers, outdoor tomatoes, marrows, courgettes, pumpkins, broccoli and autumn cabbages and cauliflowers.

Earth up maincrop potatoes

Prune cherry, damson and plum trees

July

Outdoors

Sow Chinese cabbage, winter radish.

Plant out winter cauliflowers

Bend over the necks of onions

Dig up early potatoes

Summer prune apple and pear trees

August

Outdoors

Lift dry and store shallots, onions and garlic

Plant out spring cabbage

Earth up celery and leeks to encourage longer stems

Sow winter lettuce

September

Outdoors

Lift and store carrots, beetroots, celeriac, maincrop potatoes, turnips, onions and marrows

Carry out final earthing up of leeks and celery

Plant green manures (these are plants that will grow over the winter and can be dug into the soil in the spring to fertilise the soil)

October

Outdoors

Blanch endive by covering it up to cut out the light

Winter prune apple and pear trees

Tidy up the allotment garden ready for the winter by composting stalks

and leaves.

Tie in blackberry canes, cut out old fruited wood on blackcurrants

Turn the compost bin or make a new one ready for next year

Using some posts and wire netting make a bin into which leaves can be put. These will rot down to make leaf mulch which can feed your soil

November

Outdoors

Plant garlic

Paint shed, cut the hedge, paint the fence

Dig over the ground allowing frosts to break up the soil

December

Indoors

Plan your crop rotation for next year e.g. if you grow potatoes in one area of your garden the following season you will need to grow a new crop from a separate plant family such as broad beans from the pea & bean family. Crop rotation prevents the build up of pests and diseases

Order your seeds for next year

Clean and repair tools, canes, flower pots and seed trays

Outdoors

Continue digging the ground over, ready for the new year

Happy Gardening!