A Month by Month Chore Guide to Grow your Best Garden Ever

These are in no particular order in the month. I live in zone 5B. You can adjust to your zone as needed.

January

*Check outdoor fruit tree’s and shrubs for ice and snow damage and breakage

*Start to plan your spring garden. Decide what you want to plant, order seed catalogs. Make lists.

*Look over last years garden notes. What worked, what didn’t.

February

*order your seeds and any supplies you might need (starter soil, heat lamps, starter pots or cell block makers)

*pull out any supplies you have and make sure they are in good order

*finalize your space planning for your garden

*evaluate your freezer and pantry. Did you enjoy last years harvest. What did you eat a lot of? What do you still have left? What do you wish you had but didn’t? Use that as a guide for what to plant.

March

*start pruning fruit tree’s and other shrubs before new growth starts

*start your seeds that need time inside. Be sure to make notes of what you started and when

*start turning your compost pile

*Order harvesting supplies. Canning jars, lids, rings. Ziploc bags. Make sure you have freezer or storage space. Make sure you’re eating up last years harvest.

April

*you can start hardening off and putting frost resistant crops outside (beets, onions, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)

*fertilize your berry plants

*have your soil tested if necessary

*start your veggies that aren’t frost tolerant inside

*Plan your harvest. Make sure you have the needed supplies ready now.

May

*sow your outdoor seeds like carrots, beets, lettuce, chard, cabbage etc. Be sure your frost date has passed or you can cover them

*harden off your non-frost resistant plants then plant outside when danger of frost is gone. May 15 for zone 5B

*By end of the month you should have everything into the garden. Fertilize.

June

*Make sure you’re giving your garden a good soaking once a week. water the roots, not the leaves or the top of the plants

*be on the look out for bugs and pests.

July

*you can start thinking about planting fall crops as you harvest your lettuces, spinach and other early crops. Things like beets, radish and carrots can be planted twice if you desire

*be sure your garden is getting enough water. Keep it mulched to retain water in the roots. Water mornings or evenings. Never in the heat of the day. Morning is preferable because damp leaves at night are more susceptable to fungus. Continue to watch for bugs and pests. Fertilize as needed.

*Harvest as needed. Pick daily or every other day to keep your plants producing

August

*sow peas for a late crop

*Continue to harvest as needed. Pick daily or every other day to keep your plants producing.

*remove plants that aren’t producing

*old plants go to seed. Remove them before they cause unnecessary weeds

September

*plant fall lettuce, chard, spinach

*keep watching for insects

*keep up with your compost and plan to mulch your garden as plants finish producing

*in your landscaping, now is the time to divide and re-plant things like hostas

*pumpkins, squash, gourds should all be harvested before the first frost

*add manure, compost and leaves to your garden to “put it to bed” until spring

October

*plant garlic

*plant spring flower bulbs

*drain garden hoses, bring inside

*cut and dry and herbs that you have not done yet

*Be sure you have updated your gardening notebook to reflect the harvest. Write down what worked, what didn’t.

November

*carrots, cabbage, beets, turnips can all withstand frost and get “sweeter”. Cover them with straw and harvest as needed.

*put away all powered equipment after checking it for wear and tear and changing the oil, sharpening blades and doing basic maintenance

*clean all your garden tools. Store anything with a blade on it in a bucket of sand. It prevents rust and helps maintain a sharp edge

*wrap the trunks of fruit trees with burlap if needed and stake them

December

*take a break and dream of the dirt in your hands. Enjoy the bounty of a full pantry and freezer. You did a great job!