Garden Calendar For 2022
From January the days become lighter which means you can spend more time in the garden! We’ve put together a gardening calendar to help you keep on top of those garden jobs this year, starting with January.
January - Prepare
The main job in January is to prepare the garden for the new gardening year, such as tidying the garden and greenhouse, as well as clearing up debris. Here are some jobs to get you started:
- Remove dead flowers or leaves from plants in cold frames
- Get to know your soil – soil test kits test the pH so you know what your plants need
- Mulch borders if this wasn’t done in the Autumn
- Plant deciduous hedges
- Avoid walking on the lawn if it’s waterlogged
If you have a vegetable garden, this section is for you! We have also provided some jobs to get your vegetable garden started:
- Harvest winter vegetables
- Plan this year’s crop rotation. Growing crops in a different bed to last year’s crop helps to avoid disease
- Prune apple and pear trees to encourage new growth in time for spring
February - Prune and Propogate
This month, as you’re preparing the garden for new growth, it’s necessary to prune your plants. As well as this, you can propagate seedlings for in anticipation for transplantation at a later date. Here are this month’s jobs:
- Propogate veg such as cucumbers, tomatoes and leeks
- Prune flowers such as roses, clematis, buddleja and lavatera
- Prune dead, diseased or damaged wood from trees and shrubs
- Reshape and weed borders
- Mulch borders if this wasn’t done in the Autumn
- Cut back deciduous grasses later in the month
- Plant climbers such as clematis and honeysuckle
- Start looking out for aphids and use pest control spray to ward off unwanted pests
- You can begin mowing the lawn if the weather is mild and dry
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Sow crops such as broad beans and lettuce in a greenhouse or cold frame for an earlier harvest
- Prune apple and pear trees to encourage new growth in time for spring
- Apply general fertilisers
- Plant seed potatoes and chit tubers in trays or egg boxes in a light, cool place
March – Plant Summer Flowering Bulbs
March is the best time to plant bulbs ready to flower in the summer. New growth is starting, including weeds so it’s important to keep on top of this. Also…
- Regularly deadhead bulbs
- Regularly weed
- Plant new perennials and summer-flowering bulbs and roses
- Finish mulching if not done in Autumn
- Apply general fertiliser to borders if needed
- Begin/continue mowing lawn
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Plant shallots and onions
- Harvest last of winter crops
- Prune gooseberries, red and white currants
April – Sowing Seeds
April’s a great time to get started on growing your own vegetables as well as keeping up with weeding and pest problems. Check out the main jobs below:
- Regularly weed borders
- Mulch borders if not done in Marc
- Keep an eye on pests such as aphids and treat as soon as possible
- Check evergreens for frost damage and prune these areas lightly
- Apply general fertiliser to plants
- Weed and apply feed and moss to lawns
- Begin/continue mowing lawn
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Sow sweet peas
- Continue planting potatoes
- Sow vegetables such as parsnip, turnip, peas, beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radish, and spinach
- Sow tomatoes inside in preparation for summer
- Prune stone trees, such as cherry
May – Plant Summer Bedding Plants
Get those summer bedding plants out this month to fill your garden with beautiful colours, such as geraniums and petunias. Sowing vegetables for autumn harvest is an important May job. Take a look at the below jobs:
- Continue to deadhead bulbs
- Continue to weed
- Continue to protect plants against pests
- Trim herbs such as rosemary, thyme and sage if this wasn’t done last month
- Cut back tulip or daffodil stems that are withered or yellow
- Trim lawn edges and borders
- Support herbaceous perennials if needed
- Prune clematis
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Start earthing up potatoes
- Harvest early crops
- Mulch fruit plants
- Sow pumpkins, squash, courgettes and cucumbers towards end of May
June – Protect
It’s the beginning of the summer – the best time to protect your plants against pests and weeds, ensure your garden is watered, and deadhead plants.
- Continue to protect plants against pests and aphids
- Continue to weed
- Deadhead flowers as flower heads go over
- Mow lawn
- Cut back foliage and shrubs
- Plant summer grasses, such as penisetum
- Fill in any gaps in the beds with some hardy annuals
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Sow carrots for autumn and winter harvest
- Sow fennel and chicory
- Mulch strawberries
- Regularly feed tomatoes
July – Small Jobs
The focus of this month is continuing to do the smaller maintenance jobs and keep your garden in shape. Here are our suggestions below:
- Continue to deadhead herbaceous perennials
- Continue to weed
- Continue to mow lawn
- Continue to edge borders
- Cut flowers to encourage longer bloom
- Support climbers
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Harvest garlic planted last year
- Harvest onions
- Sow spring cabbages
- Water fruit trees and bushes
August – Harvest
August is often associated with harvesting vegetables and fruit. While harvesting your crops, you can also plant new sets of your plants for a late harvest. Keep up with the maintenance jobs too:
- Continue to deadhead flowers, especially dahlias
- Continue to weed
- Continue to mow lawn
- Trim hedges
- Water any wilting plants
- Cut and rake any meadow areas
- Collect any seeds and seed pods from existing plants
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Harvest garlic, apples and pears
- Sow oriental green such as pak choi
- Plant new strawberry plants
- Start lifting potatoes
- Prune fruit such as apple and pear trees
September – Plant trees, shrubs and spring bulbs
The summer is coming to an end, so it’s time to start preparing your garden for the winter. Continue your maintenance jobs, as well as planting trees, shrubs and bulbs towards the end of the month. Other jobs include:
- Continue to deadhead
- Continue to weed
- Continue to edge borders
- Collect seed from perennials
- Start planting trees and shrubs towards end of September
- Prune lavender
- Plant spring bulbs such as daffodils, except for tulips
- Empty greenhouse
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Harvest sweet corn cobs when ready
- Harvest potatoes
- Continue fruit harvest
- Plant autumn onions
- Prune fruit trees
- Sow winter greens, such as corn salad, mustard spinach
October – Winding Down
The garden year is coming to an end, so it’s time to wind down by clearing the garden and preparing your plants for the winter.
- Continue deadheading in mild weather
- Continue to edge borders
- Mulch borders with compost
- Remove fallen leaves from beds
- Move any plants that need moving
- Plant spring bulbs such as daffodils, except for tulips
- Lift and divide perennials
- Plant trees and shrubs if not done last month
- Sow sweet peas in a cold frame or greenhouse
- Cut back herbaceous perennials
- Prune roses
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Lift and divide rhubarb
- Clear old fruit foliage
- Place herbs in pots
- Begin planting garlic
- Continue planting onions
- Harvest squash and pumpkin
November – Tidying
While clearing the garden of spent plants and leaves, you still have time to plant spring bulbs in November ready for next year.
- Continue to edge borders
- Part prune roses
- Rake fallen leaves
- Final cut for lawn providing there’s no frost
- Cutback herbaceous perennials’ foliage and flowers
- Finish planting bulbs
- Mulch borders
- Scarify lawns
- Avoid stepping on lawn in wet weather
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Prune fruit trees
- Plant fruit trees and garlic cloves
- Apply compost layer to bare ground
- Clear spent plants
December - Maintenance
You don’t have a long list of jobs in December, it’s a busy time of year so it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to spend loads of time in the garden. Instead, keep up the garden maintenance, and maybe consider buying pot plants such as poinsettia to make your garden festive for Christmas.
- Keep borders tidy – clear debris and spent plants
- Check new plants for wind rock
- Prune woody plants
- Mulch in mild weather
- Insulate outdoor taps and pipes
- Protect plants that are likely to be affected by frost-damage
- Cover compost bins
For those with a vegetable garden:
- Prune grapevines
- Continue to plant fruit bushes
- Harvest winter veg such as sprouts and parsnips
We have a huge variety of tools to suit your garden's needs - you can find them in our Hire Centres, Builders' Merchants, and Online Shop. Please don't hesitate to get in contact with us!
The above article was published on 8th December 2021, and is subject to change and further guidance.
