Garden jobs this month.
A month-by-month reminder of what to sow, plant, prune, feed and harvest, plus the seasonal jobs that are easy to forget. For an interactive what-to-sow helper, use the sow this month tool.
This calendar follows a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. Your own timings shift with your local frost dates and conditions, and in the Southern Hemisphere the seasons run six months apart. Use it as a prompt, then check your own weather.
January midwinter
🌱 Sow
Mostly a planning month. Under cover with warmth: onions and early salad leaves; broad beans in mild areas.
🪴 Plant out
Bare-root fruit trees and bushes while dormant, as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged.
✂️ Prune
Winter-prune apples and pears, wisteria, blackcurrants and autumn-fruiting raspberries.
💧 Feed & mulch
Little to none - most plants are dormant. Spread compost on empty beds.
🧺 Harvest
Leeks, parsnips, kale, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage and stored apples.
🧰 Other jobs
Order seeds, clean pots and tools, check stored produce, and firm in any plants lifted by frost.
February late winter
🌱 Sow
Under cover: chillies, aubergines and early tomatoes with warmth; onions and leeks from seed; broad beans.
🪴 Plant out
Bare-root trees, shrubs and roses; rhubarb crowns; shallots and garlic in mild areas.
✂️ Prune
Finish pruning apples and pears; cut back autumn raspberries; prune wisteria; trim winter shrubs after they flower.
💧 Feed & mulch
Top-dress fruit trees and beds with compost; begin feeding as growth starts late in the month.
🧺 Harvest
Leeks, parsnips, kale, purple sprouting broccoli and forced rhubarb.
🧰 Other jobs
Chit seed potatoes in a cool, light room; warm soil with cloches; net brassicas against pigeons.
March early spring
🌱 Sow
Indoors: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Outdoors under cover: carrots, beetroot, salad, spinach and early peas.
🪴 Plant out
Onion sets, shallots, and first early potatoes at month's end; asparagus crowns.
✂️ Prune
Roses, late-flowering clematis, dogwoods and willows for winter stems; cut back ornamental grasses.
💧 Feed & mulch
Feed roses, fruit and hungry perennials with a general fertiliser as growth starts, then mulch.
🧺 Harvest
Purple sprouting broccoli, leeks, spring cabbage and forced rhubarb.
🧰 Other jobs
Weed as growth speeds up, watch for slugs on new shoots, and start mowing on a high cut.
April mid spring
🌱 Sow
Indoors: courgettes, squash, sweetcorn. Outdoors: carrots, beetroot, lettuce, radish, peas, parsnips and chard.
🪴 Plant out
Second early and maincrop potatoes; onion and leek seedlings; hardened-off brassicas.
✂️ Prune
Finish rose pruning; trim spring shrubs such as forsythia after flowering; leave daffodil foliage to die back.
💧 Feed & mulch
Feed fruit trees, roses and containers; liquid-feed anything in active growth.
🧺 Harvest
Spring cabbage, purple sprouting broccoli, rhubarb, early salad leaves and radish.
🧰 Other jobs
Harden off tender plants, hoe weeds, earth up potatoes, and fleece against late frosts.
May late spring
🌱 Sow
Outdoors: French and runner beans, sweetcorn, courgettes, squash, beetroot, carrots and salads. Sow salads little and often.
🪴 Plant out
After the last frost, plant out tomatoes, courgettes, squash and other tender crops; summer bedding late in the month.
✂️ Prune
Prune spring shrubs after flowering; pinch out broad bean tips once podding; support peas and beans.
💧 Feed & mulch
Feed fruiting crops and containers regularly; keep mulches topped up.
🧺 Harvest
Asparagus, rhubarb, early lettuce, radish, spring onions and the first strawberries under cover.
🧰 Other jobs
Protect tender plants until the last frost passes, stake tall perennials, and keep ahead of slugs and weeds.
June early summer
🌱 Sow
Outdoors: beans, beetroot, carrots, salads, chard, and winter brassicas such as kale and sprouts. Keep sowing salads.
🪴 Plant out
Tender crops are safe everywhere now; plant leeks, winter brassicas and outdoor tomatoes.
✂️ Prune
Trim early-summer shrubs after flowering; pinch out tomato side shoots on cordon types.
💧 Feed & mulch
Start a weekly high-potash feed for tomatoes and fruiting crops; feed containers and baskets.
🧺 Harvest
Strawberries, peas, broad beans, early potatoes, lettuce, gooseberries and early raspberries.
🧰 Other jobs
Water consistently in dry spells, earth up potatoes, net soft fruit against birds, and deadhead flowers.
July midsummer
🌱 Sow
Outdoors: the last French beans, beetroot, carrots, salads, spring cabbage, oriental greens and winter salads.
🪴 Plant out
Leeks and winter brassicas; strawberry runners late in the month.
✂️ Prune
Summer-prune trained apples and pears; prune plums and cherries now to avoid disease; trim lavender after flowering.
💧 Feed & mulch
Keep feeding tomatoes and fruiting crops weekly, along with containers.
🧺 Harvest
Courgettes, beans, early tomatoes, currants, raspberries, cherries, and garlic and shallots (lift and dry).
🧰 Other jobs
Water daily in heat, keep picking to keep plants cropping, and watch for blight in humid spells.
August late summer
🌱 Sow
Outdoors: spring cabbage, winter salads, spinach, oriental greens and overwintering onions late in the month.
🪴 Plant out
Strawberry runners, and any winter brassicas not yet in the ground.
✂️ Prune
Cut back summer-fruiting raspberries after harvest, summer-prune trained fruit, trim hedges and deadhead.
💧 Feed & mulch
Continue feeding tomatoes and containers; this is the last feed for many plants.
🧺 Harvest
Tomatoes, courgettes, beans, sweetcorn, plums, blackberries, early apples and onions.
🧰 Other jobs
Keep watering, preserve gluts, order spring bulbs, and support heavy fruit branches.
September early autumn
🌱 Sow
Outdoors: winter salads, spinach, oriental greens, and overwintering broad beans late in the month; green manures on empty beds.
🪴 Plant out
Spring cabbage; onion sets and garlic late in the month; strawberry runners.
✂️ Prune
Trim hedges, prune blackberries after fruiting, and either cut back or leave faded perennials for wildlife.
💧 Feed & mulch
Ease off feeding and mulch with compost as beds clear.
🧺 Harvest
Maincrop potatoes, squash, pumpkins, apples, pears, sweetcorn, tomatoes and the main onion crop.
🧰 Other jobs
Plant spring bulbs (hold tulips back), lift and store maincrop potatoes, and clear spent crops.
October mid autumn
🌱 Sow
Outdoors: garlic and overwintering broad beans and onions; hardy salads under cover; green manures.
🪴 Plant out
Garlic and onion sets, spring cabbage, tulip bulbs, and bare-root trees and bushes at month's end.
✂️ Prune
Cut back perennials or leave them for winter structure; prune climbing roses lightly; remove diseased material.
💧 Feed & mulch
Little needed - spread compost or well-rotted manure over cleared beds.
🧺 Harvest
Pumpkins and squash, apples, pears, maincrop carrots, beetroot, leeks and the last tomatoes to ripen indoors.
🧰 Other jobs
Compost spent crops, store fallen leaves for leafmould, protect tender plants, and plant tulips.
November late autumn
🌱 Sow
Little to sow - broad beans and garlic in mild areas, or hardy peas under cover.
🪴 Plant out
Bare-root trees, shrubs, roses and fruit while dormant; garlic; the last tulip bulbs.
✂️ Prune
Prune apples and pears once dormant, cut back blackcurrants, and shorten tall roses to reduce wind-rock.
💧 Feed & mulch
None needed. Mulch beds with compost or manure.
🧺 Harvest
Leeks, parsnips, kale, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, celeriac and stored apples and squash.
🧰 Other jobs
Clear the last debris, insulate taps and pots, move tender plants under cover, and put out bird food.
December early winter
🌱 Sow
A planning month. Only broad beans and garlic in very mild areas, or hardy salads under cover.
🪴 Plant out
Bare-root trees and bushes if the ground is workable; rhubarb crowns.
✂️ Prune
Winter-prune apples, pears and vines while fully dormant; prune wisteria; cut back autumn raspberries.
💧 Feed & mulch
None - everything is dormant.
🧺 Harvest
Leeks, parsnips, kale, Brussels sprouts, winter cabbage, and stored roots, apples and squash.
🧰 Other jobs
Plan next year and order seeds, clean tools and the greenhouse, and protect vulnerable plants from hard frost.
Growing food? Pair this with the sow this month tool, the printable sowing calendar, and the full gardening guides. Growing indoors instead? Browse the plant collections.