Garden calendar

Higher topic: Gardening
Underlying topic(s):

The data shown here are for a temperate climate in the northern hemisphere.

Meaning of colors & symbols in the tables

Meaning of colors and symbols
Meaning	Symbol	Meaning
Sowing	Pre	Pre-sowing in pots
Planting	Gre	Greenhouse, Cold frame
Harvesting	GrM	Green manure plant
Special treatments	I, II etc.	Months

Table Vegetables & Herbs

Also includes green manure plants and some flowers used as green manure plants.

Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Alfalfa													Perennial plant. 2 kg / 800 m2. Best sown from half IV to half VI. Alfalfa or luzern grows slowly in the beginning but is a green manure plant. Harvest the seeds to use for sprouts.
Anise													Annual plant
Asparagus													Harvest in spring in the third and following years
Asparagus													Harvest in spring in the third and following years
Barley													Summer barley in II-IV; winter barley in IX-XI. 1 kg / 100 m2
Basil			Pre	Pre									Pre-sowing in IV & V; this plant is a perennial but doesn't survive frost
Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris)													White beans & kidney beans sow from third week of V when there is no danger anymore for night frost, green beans from third week of V to first half of VII
Beetroot						21							Sow in VI for beetroot to conserve in a cellar.
Bell pepper			Pre	Pre	Pre								Pre-sow at min temp of 68F (20C). Bell peppers need long growth to form fruits, so for a good harvest, sow early in the year.
Black salsify													Use fresh seeds only. Companion plants: Onions & Legumes.
Borage													Borage can be used as a green manure plant
Brussels sprouts													Sow from 1/2 III to IV. Pre-sow in pots or in cold frame.
Buckwheat													Sow in third week of V
Capsicum (hot pepper)			Pre										Sow at min temperature of 68F (20C). See also Bell pepper
Capucijner pea
Caraway													75 g / 100 m2
Carrot		S	S-W	S-W	S-W	S							S = summer carrots; W = winter carrots. Companion plant Onion
Cauliflower
Celery													I presow all celery in pots.
Celery root		Pre	Pre	Pre									Celery root needs longer time to grow, therefor (pre-)sow early in pots or in a greenhouse.
Chard													Keep the soil moist
Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Chervil													Sow the annual type each month from III/IX. Sow the perennial type from VII/IX, germinates after the winter.
Chicory													Sow from half May. Harvest the roots in October. Wild chicory: 50 g / 300 m2
Chinese cabbage							10	15					Sow from June 10 to July 15 directly in the soil . Also needed is a min temp of 20 C during the day and 16 C during the night, to prevent the plants from making flowers.
Chives													Perennial; likes half-shade
Clover									15				Sow in grassland or underneath grains. 3-5 kg / ha for grassland. Latest sowing date: Sept. 15.
Coriander
Corn salad				Pre				Pre	Pre				I presow corn salad and plant out 10 x 20 cm. Because corn salad is hardy in winter, it is a good plant for fresh salads in winter and early spring.
Cucumber													Sow from IV to 21st of VI. Depending on the species, grow in greenhouse, cold frame or outside.
Dill													Companion plant of Fava bean
Eggplant			Pre										Seeds need temperature of min. 68F (20C) to germinate. Needs longer time before it forms fruits, therefore pre-sowing in the beginning of March.
Endive			Pre	Pre									Companion plant of legumes. Pre-sowing or sowing under glass in III & IV for summer cultivation. Sowing outside in VI for harvest in the autumn, not earlier because endive doesn't like temperatures below 50F (10C) in its first month of growth.
Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Fava bean													Sow dill as companion plant in the row, to protect against greenfly. Cut out the edible tops of the fava bean plants to prevent against greenfly.
Fennel			Gre	gre	Gre								Harvest the bulb-like stem base. Also the leaves and fruits are edible. Sow on the spot. Until May 15, sow under glass in a (temporary) cold frame as fennel doesn't withstand frost.
Garden cress													Data shown are for growing greens outside or in greenhouse. You can grow plants for seeds to sprout in your house all year through. Sow these plants for seeds earlier in the season.
Garlic													Plant in XI underneath a layer of mulch.
Gherkin													To stimulate the forming of fruits: Cut out the tops above the fourth leaf, cut off the tops of the side sprigs above the third leaf. Companion plant of maize.
Grass													Lawn: 1 kg / 100 m2; pasture land (for example BG 11) 400 g / 100 m2. Grass needs a soil temperature above 52 F (11 C) to grow.
Hemp						Gre	Gre	Gre					In VI/VIII hemp can still be sown as a green manure plant.
Horseradish													Harvest from late summer to next spring. Re-plant in IV.
Jerusalem artichoke													Replant in IV
Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Kale													Sow until June 21
Leek	Gre S	Gre S	Gre S	S W	W								S = Summer leek. W = Winter leek.
Lemon balm			Pre	Pre	Pre								Perennial plant
Lettuce		Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre			I always pre-sow all my lettuce in pots, but you can also sow directly in the ground. There exist many species that differ from country to country. Some species are better for summer cultivation, others more fit for sowing in autumn and early spring.
Linseed					GrM	GrM	GrM						Traditional sowing is at the 100th day of the year. Can be sown later as green manure plant.
Lovage			Pre	Pre									Perennial plant. I usually pre-sow lovage in pots. Lovage can winter outside or in the greenhouse.
Lupin			GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM					Lupin is also useful as a green manure plant as its roots grow deep and the plant grows fast.
Melon			Pre	Pre									Greenhouse plant for temperate climate. Pre-sow from half III to half IV.
Maize													Sow in the last week of IV or the first two weeks of V. Companion plant of pumpkin & bean ('Three sisters').
Mentha			Pre	Pre									Perennial plant
Mustard													Grow mustard for the young greens, the seeds or as green manure plant. Sowing in VIII & IX for green manure only. 225 g / 100 m2.
Oat
Onion salad onion													You can also grow salad onions in other months, but they may not grow so well.
Onion from bulbs		Gre					VII				Gre		Onions need a certain amount of hours of daylight to form bulbs. The young plants also don't grow well when it is too hot. Plant in spring until half IV for harvest of thick bulbs in summer, or in autumn for harvest next spring. For planting in the harvest you need a species that needs fewer hours of daylight to grow bulbs.
Onion from seeds													Onions grown from seeds give more durable bulbs
Oregano
Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Parsley													I always pre-sow parsley in pots. Later sown in the season, the plants survive winter in a greenhouse, or sometimes outside.
Parsnip				1/2	1/2
Pea										Gre	Gre		Sow 1/2 III - 1/2 IV for harvest in the summer. You can also (pre-)sow them already in II. I sow peas in my greenhouse in X and XI for harvest in spring next year.
Phacelia			GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM	GrM 15				Phacelia is a green manure plant and attracts bees.
Physalis peruviana			Pre	Pre	Pre								Needs a warm and sunny location. I grow them in a greenhouse.
Potato													Planting early cultivars in the first half of IV, late cultivars in the second half of IV
Pumpkin				Pre									(Pre-)sow from 1/2 IV - V. Companion plant of beans and maize.
Purslane					Gre								Keep the soil moist.
Radish				n	n	n							Sow Raphanus sativus subsp. niger IV-VI (n)
Rapeseed								15	15				Green manure plant; 1 kg / 700 m2
Red cabbage		Pre	Pre
Rhubarb													Planting 90 x 90 cm on a moist location in X-XII.
Ribes													Pruning in first half of III before leaves are formed.
Rocket
Rosemary			Pre	Pre
Rye				S					W	W			S = Summer rye. W = Winter rye. Rye can be used as a green manure plant, especially to cover the ground in the winter.
Sage													Perennial
Satureja				Pre									Saturaja exists as annual and perennial. This is for the annual plant.
Sjallot
Sorrel Rumex			15										Sow from 1/2 III - VII
Snow pea										Gre	Gre		Sow 1/2 III - 1/2 IV for harvest in the summer. You can also (pre-)sow them already in II. I sow snow peas in my greenhouse in X and XI for harvest in spring next year.
Soybean				Pre									Pre-sow in second half of IV. Harvest is only possible in warm summers for a temperate climate.
Spinach	S Gre	S Gre	S	S	R	R			S	S Gre			S = Sharp seeds. R = Round seeds (for warmer seasons). Cultivation in autumn can be harvested the next year, provided not too much frost.
Strawberry													Plant young plants in first 1/2 of VIII. Harvest the two following years from these plants, then replace them. I keep half of my plants one year old, the other half two years old.
Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Sunflower							GrM	GrM					Sow from 2nd half IV to VIII. VII & VIII only as green manure plant.
Tarragon			Pre	Pre									Perennial plant
Thyme			Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre
Turnip													There exist different species. A cultivar that is consumed raw, sow in IV, V & VIII, keep the soil moist. For the species that is harvested in autumn, sow in V & VI first half.
Turnip greens		Gre
Tomato		Pre	Pre	Pre									Pre-sow end II to 1/2 IV
Watercress		Pre	Pre										Sow in moist soil.
Wheat				S					W	W			S = Summer wheat. W = Winter wheat. 1 kg / 100 m2
White cabbage		Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre	Pre							Quick-growing cultivars for harvest in summer, sow 1/2 III-VI. For varieties harvested in autumn, sow II-IV. Pre-sow in pots or in cold frame.
Zucchini													Sowing or pre-sowing in pots
Plant name	I			IV			VII			X			Comments

Table Flowers

Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Alyssum													Perennial rock plant
Calendula			Pre	Pre									From 1/2 IV sow outside
Canterbury bells													Biennial plant
Chamomile
Cornflower													Sow until half VI; annual plant.
Dahlia													Dig out the roots before it begins to freeze. Replant them at the beginning of the summer when there's no danger of frost anymore.
Delphinium													Perennial
Dianthus barbatus													Biennial
Digitalis													Biennial plant
Gladiolus													The tubers need to be harvested in X and kept free from frost; re-plant them in IV-V.
Gypsophila													Likes lime. Annual plant, becomes only 6 weeks old. Rock plant.
Gypsyweed													Perennial
Hollyhock													Biennial
Lathyrus													Annual plant
Lavender			Pre	Pre									Sow at 68F (20C). If the seeds don't germinate after one month, lower the temperature to 32F (0C) for a few days and then sow again.
Plant name	I	II	III	IV	V	VI	VII	VIII	IX	X	XI	XII	Comments
Margarite (Leucanthemum vulgare)													Perennial plant.
Mullein													Biennial
Nepeta					Pre								Perennial plant
Physalis													Perennial plant
Poppy		Pre	Pre					15					II-V for annual cultivation; VII-VIII for biennial.
Sedum													Perennial. Sow in seedbed and plant out later.
Tagetes			Pre	Pre
Tobacco Nicotiana			Pre	Pre	Pre
Tropaeolum													Flowers, leaves and fruits are edible.
Valerian
Viola			Gre						Gre				In III for annual cultivation; for biennial in VII & VIII and in IX in a cold frame.
Wallflower													Annual or perennial.
Zinnia			Pre	Pre									Annual plant
Plant name	I			IV			VII			X			Comments

How to use the tables

Read the columns per month. Each colored cell means that there's a possible task for this plant in this month. You can make your 'to-do' list for that month.
Read the rows to find out details about one particular plant.

Gallery

An example of how i made my garden calendar in my own computer. Here are shown only some plants.

External links

Videos

Organic gardening - Gardening plan

Comments