All Seasons Gardening | The Best time to start your 12 Month Organic Garden Plan

Gardening in all seasons, knowing what to do month by month in your garden makes you a professional gardener and helps you extend your yields and harvests to 12 months of the year. 12-month organic gardening is only possible if you have an individual year-round gardening plan specific to your backyard or location.

There are a lot of things to do in the garden throughout the year. In this article, you will learn which gardening work needs to be done in which month. So, nothing will be forgotten, and nothing stands in the way of a well-tended garden!

The essential facts in brief about All seasons gardening

• If you sow in March/April, you can harvest the first vegetables in May,
• Weeds can be removed all year round,
• In the summer, the lawn needs to be watered a lot and mowed more often,
• In autumn the compost heap is turned over, leaves are collected, and trees are planted

Month by month gardening through the year

This article will find detailed information on when particular gardening work should be carried out during the year. However, don’t be too dependent when on timing because the actual weather conditions at your location have the most considerable influence on whether certain activities can be carried out or not.

Planting out too early, for example, makes no sense if it is still wintering outside, and your plants have no chance of survival – even if the calendar shows the first day of spring. If you are guided by the weather conditions at your location and see this gardening calendar only as a suggestion, then you have the best chances of success.

Gardening in spring

In spring, the days become longer again, the temperatures rise, and the garden returns to life. The trees show new leaves and shoots and bulbs, which have been hidden in the ground, bringing out a vibrant color after the grey winter. Gardeners now have a lot to do because it’s time to sow and plant, prune and fertilize.

But be careful: don’t be fooled by an early spring break because the frost can come back after all in these changeable months. Even if the weather seems friendly enough for planting, it’s best to keep an eye on the forecast – a sudden late frost can destroy young plants in one fell swoop.

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All seasons gardening | General tasks to do in the garden

The following table shows which general gardening work awaits you in the early spring:

Gardening in March

The garden year begins in March. Start the new season by tidying up the garden and keeping it tidy after the winter:

• Cut back withered and dead plant parts.
• Rake the beds and borders thoroughly.
• Remove any remaining leaves or mulch from the previous year.
• Cut back plants such as roses and other flowering plants.
• Perennials also receive a substantial pruning.
• Fruit trees can also be pruned now.
• Chop up the cuttings and compost them.
• Check your garden plants for diseases and pests.
• Treat them if necessary.
• Replace damaged planters.

Traditionally, the perfect time to prune roses during your all-season backyard gardening is when the forsythia blossoms. Summer flowering plants such as clematis, hydrangeas, or lavender can also be pruned now. Pay more attention to diseases, as plants weakened by winter are now particularly susceptible. Remove infected plant parts and dispose of them with household waste.

If you haven’t done so yet, you might now prune their fruit trees. Only peaches and sweet cherries are pruned in the summer after harvest. Prepare everything for the coming harvest by putting frost-sensitive vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers on the windowsill. On the other hand, directly into the cold frame, more robust plants such as early radishes, kohlrabi, or radish can be sown or planted in the ground as early plants.
Even annual summer flowers such as sweet peas or snapdragons can be preferred now and planted in the bed as young plants from April. All the more reason to enjoy the pretty flowers.

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Berry bushes such as gooseberries can now be planted, and the strawberry bed must be prepared for the new season. Remove wilted and dead plant parts (preferably with sharp scissors!), weed, loosen the soil, and add some composted manure as fertilizer. Alternatively, you can also use berry fertilizer.

The lawn will be happy to receive this maintenance work in March:

• Rake over bare or worn areas and reseed them.
• Whitewash, if necessary.
• Weed out weeds, fertilize the lawn, and apply moss control agents if necessary.
• Once the grass begins to grow on established lawns, you can mow.

Gardening in April

In April, the preparatory work is done; now, your 12-month organic gardening work is just beginning. Fertilize all garden plants that need it – especially perennial shrubs and perennials, but also bulbous flowers and vegetable plants.

The plants need a fresh supply of nutrients, as they have the highest growth spurt at this time and need energy and nutrients accordingly. Plants that are malnourished in the spring will only develop a weak growth as well as a lack of flowers and little fruit.

Adequate watering is also essential now, especially when it rains little in April. However, there can be many a hot day that puts the plants under stress. It is best to water early in the morning, which is especially crucial in gardens that are increasingly threatened by snails – here, you should not water in the evening under any circumstances, as this only attracts the animals additionally.

Furthermore, vegetables that are not sensitive to frost can be sown directly into the bed from April onwards. However, be careful not to sow all seeds at the same time with your all seasons gardening, but rather to plant them in the soil at different times.

This way, you will not harvest the vegetables all at once (and they will be flooded) in your year-round gardening work, but gradually. Even robust perennials can now be planted, and summer flowers (as long as they are not sensitive to frost) sown. To ensure that the plants have sufficient and decent nutrients, make sure you add compost beforehand.

If you have not yet handled your lawn in March, you should, at the latest, now.

• Liming and fertilize (of course with a time delay)
• Scarify, and remove felt and dead material
• Reseed bald patches

Gardening in May

In May, you can look forward to the first harvest – provided, of course, that you have sown and planted early enough. Radishes, spring onions, spinach, lettuce, and chard can already be harvested. Even early kohlrabi and radish are already ready. Furthermore, May is wild garlic month: Do you have the spicy herb in your garden? If not, then it is high time to cultivate it!

In May, the weather is also often exciting, as the icy saints often cause another cold spell in the middle of the month. However, once this is over, you can now take cold-sensitive plants outside. This not only applies to potted plants such as bougainvillea, oleander, geraniums, and the like but also many popular vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers. Beans, zucchini, and cucumbers are also quite sensitive and are only now being allowed outside. The same applies to many herbs that you have optimally preferred and are currently being put into the bed.

However, even after the ice saints, make sure to protect sensitive plants from the cold and cover them with fleece.
Apart from that, you now have the same tasks in terms of care as in April:

• fertilize (if you haven’t already done so)
• provide for an adequate water supply
• Weeding and prevention of weeds (e.g., by mulching)
• Loosen the soil in the beds

Furthermore, garden plants should be carefully checked for aphids to be able to have a healthy all seasons gardening. These pests start spreading in the garden quite early in the year, so it makes sense to control them more first – the less you will have to worry about a real nuisance later on. Snails should also be collected regularly, and the beds should be protected from these voracious animals by taking appropriate measures.

Gardening in the summer

With rising temperatures, the gardener’s primary concern is the economical use of water and the necessary irrigation of all plants. Think about how your plants will survive your upcoming holiday. For example, place potted plants in the shade and, if possible, arrange mutual holiday garden care with a gardener.

General activities

In general, these tasks await you in the summer for all seasons gardening:

Gardening in June

Even in June, there is still much to do in the garden:

There is still a lot to do in the garden in June:

• For many plants, the second fertilization is due (organic or slow-release fertilizer),
• Weed,
• Water plants,
• Mow the lawn once a week,
• Harvest the sweet cherries and then cut back the tree,
• Sowing annual and biennial flowers,
• Quickly create a herb bed (if not yet done),
• Share plants if necessary,

Furthermore, June is the high season for many pests such as scale insects, gall mites, largemouth weevils, whiteflies, and the dreaded box borer, as well as fungal diseases. Check your plants regularly for the appropriate signs and take countermeasures in good time. Attract useful insects such as ladybirds or lacewings into the garden by setting up an insect hotel. Continue to collect snails regularly.

–DIGRESSION–

When is the right time to take the cuttings?

June is also the perfect time to take the cuttings for your all seasons gardening – at least if the plants are to be propagated from soft or half-wooded cuttings. Cut the plants and place them immediately in nutrient-poor growing soil. In the following year, the resulting plants can finally be located outdoors.

Gardening in July

In July, one thing is especially important: pouring, pouring, and watering again. Water your plants, preferably in the early hours of the morning, and make sure that you pour the water directly onto the ground. If possible, the leaves and flowers of the plants should not get wet! Otherwise, there is a risk of fungal diseases. Also, do not water daily in small doses, but rather vigorously every few days – this is the only way for plants to develop deep roots and be less sensitive to drought.

Gardening in August

The most important work in August continues to be providing the plants with sufficient water and regular weeding and lawn mowing with your all-season gardening. August is also the month when you can harvest plenty of vegetables, so you have your hands full to pocket the fruits of your labor finally.

The harvested beds can either be sown or planted with winter vegetables such as lamb’s lettuce or short-term crops such as lettuce and radishes or green manure plants if further use is not desired. Various types of clover are particularly suitable for this purpose, which not only provide insects with plenty of food in autumn but also collect nitrogen in their roots and thus enrich the soil. Winter rye or phacelia is also very suitable for fallow vegetable beds.

If possible, no more potassium-based fertilizer is used now or at the latest by mid-August. This is specially intended to harden the tender shoots of roses in good time before winter, which is essential for sustainable all seasons gardening. This way, the flowers survive the cold season better. Furthermore, now is the right time to cut back the “queen of the flowers” and thus prevent fungal diseases. During the so-called summer pruning, you mainly remove already diseased parts of the plant as well as wilted flowers.

Gardening in Autumn:

Though the days are getting shorter and the plants in the garden are gradually becoming fewer, autumn is in many ways a beginning rather than the end of the garden year. Planting flower bulbs, roses, and shrubs is a forward-looking job at a time when most gardening activities revolve around cleaning and removing dead or rotting plants.

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General activities

You can see the most important autumn works in this table:

Gardening in September

Cucumbers, courgettes, beans, salads, potatoes, leafy, root, and tuber vegetables, as well as numerous cabbages… Even in September, you can still harvest plenty in the garden.

Make sure that the vegetables – except for some species such as Brussels sprouts, which do not mind the cold – are stored or otherwise preserved or processed in good time before the first frost. You can also harvest the last tomatoes – even if they are still green – and let them ripen in a fruit bowl embroidered with apples.

Think about the next gardening year and collect vegetable and flower seeds that are best stored in small paper bags in an airy and dry place. Only cold-germinating plants need to be sown now, as they need a cold stimulus for germination:

Daylily, phlox, torch-lily, wolfsbane, or lady’s mantle must, therefore, be planted in the bed in autumn. This also applies to the earliest flowering bulbous flowers, such as tulips, crocuses, and daffodils. These should be planted in the bed by October at the latest.

Persistent garden perennials such as larkspur, margarite, and lupin are best propagated by division, and many shrubs and bushes can also be pruned back from the end of September. The lawn is still mowed.

Gardening in October

In October, you harvest the last vegetables and late fruit, such as quinces. Besides, you should now catch up on any work that may have been leftover in September:

• Dig up the harvested beds,
• Sowing green manure,
• Plant bulbs,
• Cold germ sowing,
• Plant groves,
• Bringing potted plants into the winter quarters,
• Mulching beds and borders,

Furthermore, leaves must now be removed regularly. This is particularly important on lawns, as rot can develop under the thick layer of leaves. However, you do not have to dispose of the leaves but can make valuable leaf humus out of them. To do this, simply put the leaves on the compost, either alone or together with other garden waste.

Now is also the right time to cut back withered perennials and grasses and pile up the roses.

Gardening in November

Even in November, you still clear away leaves so that the plants underneath do not suffocate. Also, make the garden winterproof for good by weeding it for the last time and then spreading compost and mulch in the beds and protecting sensitive plants from the cold. It is best to winter potted plants in a cool wintering area without frost.

In November, you can also plant many fruit trees and shrubs and cut back existing fruit trees and shrubs. You should also put glue rings around the trunks to prevent insect pests from overwintering. This measure should not be neglected, especially with apple trees.

–Digression–

How to prepare the garden pond optimally for winter?
Remove the water pump in late autumn. Clean and maintain it, then store it in a frost-free place until the next spring. Also, remove dead leaves. In winter, you can float a plastic ball on the water surface to keep the area ice-free.

Gardening in winter

Protection is the primary concern of the gardener in winter. Frost, snowfall, storm, and hail pose a threat to the plants in the garden. Make sure that they are adequately protected. Also, use the time to plan for the next year.

Now you have to plan and prepare for the coming garden year, as the following video shows:

Frequently asked questions