Your Year of Gardening Jobs

The joy of gardening is that it changes throughout the year.

Whether you’re tending to an ornamental garden or you’re growing your own vegetable patch, no two months are the same.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy guide on what to do each month in the garden, then you’re in the right place. Read ahead for our breakdown of monthly tasks to keep your garden looking beautiful.

In the depths of winter, the weather can be bitterly cold. It makes it a great month for planning, sorting and getting your seeds and plants in order. Put out food and water for birds and leave your garden uncut to provide shelter for wildlife.

If you’re considering an artificial grass lawn, now is the time to get planning. Use our Project Planner to spec out what you might need.

Your Must-Do Jobs for January

• Clean pots and tidy the shed and/or greenhouse
• Dig over any vacant plots
• Plan your fruit and veg crop and order your seeds
• Start your veg. Onions, leeks and garlic should be planted now
• Prune apple and pear trees.

The days are getting longer and the temperatures are rising, it looks like spring is definitely on the way! Preparation for the next season is key, as well as helping your garden come back to life.

Your Must-Do Jobs for February

• Prepare veg seed beds and sow seeds under-cover
• Net any fruit and veg crops to keep the birds off
• Prune winter-flowering shrubs, wisteria and hardy evergreen hedges
• Chit potato tubers.

Spring finally says hello in March and the arrival of slightly warmer, sunnier days means that you can get out tidying the garden and sowing seeds.

Your Must-Do Jobs for March

• Plant summer bulbs and protect your new shoots from slugs
• Plant shallots, onions and early potatoes
• If you have a natural lawn, it may need mowing now. Of course, an artificial lawn won’t need mowing at all!
• Tend to weeds.

Spring is sprung as flowers start to bloom and trees start to blossom. Sunny days interspersed with April showers and chilly nights mean that outdoor planting can begin.

Your Must-Do Jobs for April

• Sow hardy annuals, herbs and wild flower seeds
• If you have a natural lawn, you’ll have to sow any new grass seeds now and repair bare patches
• Feed shrubs, roses and citrus plants
• Prune fig trees
• Tie in climbing and rambling roses.

There are plenty of things to do in the garden as May gets underway. Spring bulbs will fade but the rest of the garden will start growing voraciously.

Your Must-Do Jobs for May

• Earth up potatoes
• If you have a lawn, you should be mowing on a weekly basis throughout summer
• Clip hedges (though be careful to check for nesting birds)
• Start to plant out summer bedding
• Regularly get rid of weeds.

Summer is here, and all that light and warmth makes for lots of growth and an enjoyable time working on the garden.

Your Must-Do Jobs for June

• Hoe in dry conditions to keep down weeds
• Position summer hanging baskets and containers
• Stake tall or floppy plants
• Harvest early potatoes and salad vegetables
• Use water sparingly so it doesn’t get wasted.

July is the perfect time to enjoy your garden and revel in the hard work you’ve put in! It’s one of the hottest months of the year, so plants need to be well tended to. Keep new plants watered and make sure you keep on top of those weeds.

Your Must-Do Jobs for July

• Clear any algae and debris from ponds
• Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials for continuous flowering
• Pick courgettes, unless you want marrows!
• Your natural lawn will need some summer feed
• Water potted plants and tubs if dry.

As the temperature continues to heat up, watering becomes really important. It’s also holiday season, so you might have to get help to look after the garden if you go away.

Your Must-Do Jobs for August

• Deadhead flowering plants
• Collect seeds from garden plants
• Harvest veg as it becomes ready
• Feed the soil with manure
• Keep an eye on water features so they don’t run dry.

Autumn is creeping up in September as the temperature cools and the days get shorter. It’s the month for enjoying the spoils of harvest from your fruit or vegetable patch.

Your Must-Do Jobs for September

• Net ponds
• Dig up any remaining potatoes
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs
• Clean out the greenhouse.

The trees are changing colour from vibrant, lush greens to reds, oranges and browns. The temperature is decidedly chilly, and the threat of winter is on the horizon.

Your Must-Do Jobs for October

• If the weather is still dry, this will probably be the last chance you’ll get before the wet weather to mow your lawn
• Cut back on perennials
• Move tender plants indoors or into a greenhouse
• Finish collecting seeds from the garden.

It’s windy and it’s rainy, and it’s getting cold. Some plants will need protection from the weather, and birds may need help with food and water.

Your Must-Do Jobs for November

• Clear up fallen leaves from lawns and ponds
• Plant tulip bulbs for spring next year
• Plant out winter bedding
• Put out bird food.

There shouldn’t be too much to do in the garden this month. The cold will mean that you’ll be mainly checking winter protection and harvesting any winter veg.

Your Must-Do Jobs for December

• Take hardwood cuttings
• Harvest leeks, parsnips and any other root crop
• Prune acers, birches and vines
• Check greenhouse heaters.

How are you feeling about the year ahead? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook @Namgrass