Keeping track of your gardening tasks can be quite a difficult thing to do, especially if you take care of a big garden. And it’s understandable if it might result in a few slip-ups where you forget to perform one task or the other. That is where our monthly gardening to-do checklist comes in. Bookmark this article and refer to it at the beginning of every month to ensure that all your monthly gardening tasks are up to date.
Gardening To-Do Checklist
January
There is a lot to do in the dead winters of January in the garden. To prepare the flowerbeds for planting in spring, winter digging is very important. If the weather is mild, you can grow roses or some bare-rooted shrubs and trees. Now is the perfect time to plan for the year’s garden so go through seed catalogs and plan out what you want your garden to look like this year. Check your garden equipment to see if they still work and order the necessary tools. Check and fix any leaks in the irrigation system.
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Clean all the fallen leaves and debris from the garden area
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If the soil allows, dig the flowerbeds
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Weed
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Mulch
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Cut down perennials
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Plant bare-root plants
February
Late February starts showing signs of spring and longer daytime. Your shrubs will need pruning around this time so that they can bloom perfectly later in the year. Make sure you have continued digging the ground as the spring rush brings will keep you busy next month.
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Install netting around plants for protection
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Continue cutting down perennials
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Planting perennials and shrubs
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Mulch
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Weed
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Prune roses
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Dig flowerbeds and borders
March
March is one of the busiest months for gardeners. As the weather starts to warm up, start planting climbers, trees, shrubs, and perennials. You should also complete digging over the beds and borders this month. Be prepared for the incoming slugs and pests that will infiltrate your garden and try to ruin all your efforts. Try putting on barriers such as nettings. Bring in some beneficial insects like honeybees and ladybugs to help you fight the bugs. Keep some time still to remove the perennial weeds as well.
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Remove perennial and annual weeds
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Install protection from slugs and birds
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Dig and fertilize flowerbeds
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Mulch
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Lay down a straw path
April
Now that the days are longer and warmer, you should start watering the plants regularly. Although there could be some showers, be prepared with your irrigation system for the dry spells. Keep removing weeds and tidy up the shrubs and perennials to make room for new growth.
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Apply biological control
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Sow annuals and perennials
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Weeding
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Hoe flowerbeds
May
Continue watering the plants as the weather continues to heat up. The first vegetable crop should be ready to be cultivated around this time as well. Keep an eye on critters as they are likely to continue invading your garden as well. Garlic sprays are quite effective when it comes to getting rid of garden pests.
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Sowing
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Staking
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Weeding
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Apply moss killer
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Apply spray for pests
June
June is the month of roses but other flowers and shrubs will be on full display as well so take a break and enjoy the beauty around you. But the work hasn’t ended yet. Continue weeding the flowerbed and water the young, old, and especially the thirsty plants like tomatoes. Insects, pests, and birds will be testing your patience this month so be prepared to keep them out of the garden.
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Mulch
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Sow biennials
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Remove crops when they go over
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Continue weeding and staking
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Protect against insects, birds, and pests
July
The increasingly dry weather could make your plants parched so be mindful to keep watering them regularly. July is also the month of harvesting your fruits and vegetables and enjoying them. Plants will also need quick food so use quick-acting fertilizers for good production. Keep an eye on the weeds and pests as they will not be leaving you alone this month either.
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Cut back early perennials
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Weeding
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Staking
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Continue watering and mulching
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Use quick-acting fertilizers
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Check for pests and disease
August
The routine for gardening in August is pretty much the same as the routine in other summer months. Continue to weed and water the garden, keep the pests in check and treat plant diseases if you find any. Harvesting fruits, vegetables, and herbs should be the top priority this month, however. The flowers will be in full bloom around this time as well so you might want to think about cutting them for making floral arrangements.
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Watering the garden as and when necessary
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Continue weeding
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Treat diseases
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Manage pests
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Continue harvesting
September
The number of tasks starts to wind down in the garden in September. Now you need to start cleaning the spent plants and continue weeding if the weather turns slightly wet. If the weather is still dry, continue watering the plants.
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Clear dead plants
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Continue weeding and watering
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Remove spent crops
October
October brings even less work than September. There are only cleaning and tidying up jobs left. However, you can plan out the next year of gardening in the meantime. Pay special attention when clearing out dead and rotten leaves because they will in turn rot the other plants if they come in contact with them. They are also a loving home to snails and slugs. However, you can sweep all the dead, fallen leaves and use them as compost for the soil. October also means you should start using slow-acting fertilizers, as opposed to the quick-acting fertilizers you used in spring.
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Clear flowerbeds for spent flowers
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Continue weeding
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Start mulching
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Layout straw path
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Make leaf compost from the fallen leaves
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Use slow-acting fertilizers
November
As the days turn cold, plants become dormant and require very little attention. But, your garden still needs taking care of like raking the leaves and digging over the flowerbeds for the upcoming spring. Around the end of November, you can start planting bare roots plants and trees, both fruiting and ornamental.
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Continue sweeping dead leaves and adding them to the compost pile
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Start digging over empty ground
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Plant bare-root shrubs and trees
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Continue mulching
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Lay down the straw path
December
Gardeners pretty much relax by the fire and go through seed catalogs and plan for next year in December. However, you should try working with difficult soil and improve their quality by adding organic matter to it so that they are ready for spring as well.
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Continue weeding and mulching
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Continue laying a straw path
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Apply organic matter to difficult soil
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Plan for next year’s garden
