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Monthly Garden Tips & Advice

Month-by-Month Garden Guide

Keeping on top of your garden can be a challenging job for some and if it’s not carefully planned out and cared for, your garden can easily be overwhelmed. Whether it’s keeping your plants safe through the harsh months of winter or making sure they have enough nutrients and minerals in the spring and summer, this monthly garden planner should help make sure your garden is in the best shape all through the calendar year.

Alsoils+ has been servicing domestic and trade customers for over 35 years with the highest quality garden supplies, leaving you safe in the knowledge that we can help you decide on what to do in the garden whatever month you’re in. We have also created specific guides for vegetable patches, garden lawns and flower beds so that you know what to do to ensure the health of your pride and joy.

Winter

December January February
frosty rose flower in winter

Spring

March April May
Butterfly on flower

Summer

June July August
Sunflower

Autumn

September October November
garden rake autumn leaves

What to do in the Garden in Winter

During the winter months of December, January and February, many plants and flowers are dormant, meaning there’s less weeding and watering to be done in your garden. Some of the jobs that need to be done in winter can be interchangeable
month to month, so you can take the below as a rough guide. If you’re still looking for jobs to do in Winter, then there are normally fences to fix, wildlife shelters to build and compost bins to maintain.

December

December can be a difficult month to navigate when it comes to gardening as the weather can be harsh on your shrubbery, but there are things you can do in December.

Flowers

  • Bring plants indoors or into a greenhouse
  • Prune roses
  • Keep snow off flowers and plants
  • Look for diseases and fungal growth

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Place straw around the base of root vegetables
  • Prune large fruit trees
  • Start to plan next year’s crops
  • Place netting over winter vegetables

 

Garden Maintenance

January

Still in the height of winter, January is very similar to December but it does offer a chance to prepare for the transition into spring.

Flowers

  • Start to order organic manure
  • Purchase seeds and bulbs
  • Plant bare-root roses, shrubs and hedges
  • Remove snow from flowers and plants

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Prepare the ground for early crops
  • Clear old crops and weeds
  • Plan the year’s crop rotation
  • Harvest winter vegetables

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Brush snow off shed roofs and other garden structures
  • Feed wildlife and birds
  • Order well-rotted manure or mushroom compost
  • Start to order mulch and chippings

February

Slowly transitioning into spring is a welcome sight for gardeners across the UK and February marks the beginning of a busy few months ahead.

Flowers

  • Prune late-summer flowering plants
  • Transplant deciduous shrubs whilst they are dormant
  • Place organic manure on flower beds
  • Sow early seeds

 

Fruit and Vegetables

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Build a raised bed
  • Clean and service garden equipment
  • Firm back down loosened plants
  • General repairs and fixes

Winter Garden Supplies

We are able to offer those on the south coast of the UK a range of products suitable for the winter months.

What to do in the Garden in Spring

The busiest period of the year is upon us and this is when you start to see the rewards of your hard work throughout the year. Spring is the time of year that the temperature starts to increase, wildlife is teaming and flowers bloom into their full form. Some of the jobs that need to be done in spring can be interchangeable month to month, so you can take the below as a rough guide.

March

March is the first month of spring, and gardens are alive with the colour of spring flowers and plants. The weather can still be unpredictable, so some jobs may be left to do in April.

Flowers

  • Finish pruning roses
  • Continue deadheading spring flowers
  • Place topsoil in flower beds and borders
  • Top dress flower beds with mulch

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Plant shallots and onions
  • Plant early potatoes
  • Sow tomatoes, chillies and sweet peppers
  • Start hoeing vegetable patches

 

Garden Maintenance

April

April is when the weather starts to take a turn for the better and you can plan your to-do list a bit better.

Flowers

  • Place topsoil in flower beds and borders
  • Plant early-blooming flowers
  • Keep bedding plants frost free
  • Prune late-blooming flowers and shrubs

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Plant second-early and maincrop potatoes
  • Replant hardy herbs
  • Sow easy salad leaves and rocket
  • Sow fast-growing crops

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Lay new turf
  • Hoe between rows of vegetable seedlings
  • Remove weeds and moss
  • Look out for clusters of aphids on new shoots

May

May is the month of days getting warmer and longer. Summer is on its way and it’s time to tidy up your garden ready for the better weather!

Flowers

  • Prune spring shrubs
  • Plant up hanging baskets
  • Pinch out the shoot tips of bedding plants
  • Top dress flower beds with mulch

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Earth up potatoes
  • Sow batches of salad leaves
  • Remove all strawberry runners
  • Plant a range of beans and other root vegetables

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Apply nitrogen-rich summer lawn feed and topsoil
  • Hoe bare soil and hand-weed beds weekly
  • Start to increase the frequency of mowing your lawn
  • General repairs and fixes

Spring Garden Supplies

We are able to offer those on the south coast of the UK a range of products suitable for the spring months.

What to do in the Garden in Summer

Early summer is a busy time for gardeners up and down the country. The weather is now significantly warmer and plantings are filling in and looking plush.
For the average gardener, the emphasis has shifted from planting to maintaining as a dry spell can ruin your hard work in the previous months.

June

June marks the longest daylight month of the year, with extra sunlight and warmer temperatures setting the tone for the coming months.

Flowers

  • Place hanging baskets in final positions
  • Regularly water flower beds
  • Weed flower beds and borders
  • Place topsoil in flower beds and borders

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Plant out sweetcorn
  • Water vegetable patches frequently
  • Harvest berries
  • Harvest salad crops

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Regularly mow your lawn
  • Weed and keep your turf healthy
  • Water your garden lawn
  • Create sharp edges on your lawn

July

July is frequently the hottest month of the year and marks a great time to sit out in the garden and reap the rewards.

Flowers

  • Deadhead bedding plants
  • Plant autumn bulbs
  • Continue to tie in and train new growth on climbing plants
  • Regularly water flower beds

 

Fruit and Vegetables

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Weed and keep your turf healthy
  • Try and use water butts instead of the mains
  • Keep an eye out for aphids and other bugs
  • Regularly mow your lawn

August

August is the last official month of summer and it’s the perfect time to enjoy your garden while it’s still in peak condition.

Flowers

  • Regularly water flower beds and containers
  • Dead-head annual bedding plants
  • Cut back herbs
  • Prune climbing roses and rambling roses once they’ve finished flowering

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Harvest carrots and beetroot
  • Continue to harvest second early potatoes
  • Harvest sweetcorn and courgettes
  • Lift and dry onions, shallots and garlic

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Water your garden lawn
  • Trim hedges and bushes
  • Clear weeds from cracks in paving and driveways
  • Prepare soil for levelling a lawn or laying turf

Summer Garden Supplies

We are able to offer those on the south coast of the UK a range of products suitable for the summer months.

What to do in the Garden in Autumn

Autumn presents the perfect opportunity to get rid of dead vegetation left over from the warmer summer months, tidy your borders, clear out your gutters, and much more.
The next 3 months are all about picking up and packing down before the arrival of colder months.

September

September is still warm, but the tide will turn come the end of the month. Harvesting crops will keep gardeners busy for the majority of this month.

Flowers

  • Feed and deadhead hanging baskets and containers
  • Prune any late-summer flowering shrubs
  • Bring any houseplants that you moved outside over summer back indoors
  • Plant spring bulbs in pots and borders

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Sow hardy greens for winter harvesting
  • Cut away any leaves covering the fruits of pumpkins, squash and marrows
  • Harvest apples and pears
  • Dig up the remaining potatoes

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Rake thatch from garden lawns
  • Collect fallen leaves
  • Check roses for signs of fungal diseases
  • Clean out water butts

October

October is when nights get darker and the temperature starts to drop, but there’s still plenty to do in the garden.

Flowers

  • Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs
  • Clear up fallen rose leaves
  • Clear overhanging plants and shrubs from pathways
  • After tidying borders, mulch with bark chips and well-rotted manure

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Finish harvesting peas and beans
  • Harvest pumpkins and squashes before the first frosts
  • Divide large clumps of herbs and replant
  • Clear away old crops

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Collect fallen leaves
  • Apply an autumn lawn feed
  • Go on regular snail hunts
  • Fork up perennial weeds

November

Winter is fast approaching and the weather is taking a turn for the worse. Plants and gardens need protecting in November as they may be susceptible to frost.

Flowers

  • Plant tulip bulbs
  • Mix organic manure into flower beds
  • Bring plants indoors
  • Top dress flower beds with mulch

 

Fruit and Vegetables

  • Plant garlic, shallots and onions
  • Tidy up strawberry beds
  • Spread well-rotted manure across the surface of your vegetable beds
  • Check stored potatoes and remove any that are rotting

 

Garden Maintenance

  • Clean and maintain your greenhouse
  • Be careful not to overwater plants as the winter approaches
  • Collect fallen leaves
  • Continue to mow the lawn in mild spells

Autumn Garden Supplies

We are able to offer those on the south coast of the UK a range of products suitable for the autumn months.

Further Reading

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