The gardening year at a glance

Andrea Rothenberger

25.12.2017

Translation: machine translated

There's a lot to do in the garden every month. To ensure that you sow the desired plant and vegetable species at the right time, it is worth planning the coming gardening season in January.

Although there's not much going on in the garden at the moment apart from shovelling snow, now is the best time to plan your future garden projects.

Garden planning in January

It is best to draw your garden with the garden beds on a sheet of paper and label the individual garden beds with the vegetables you are planning for the coming gardening season.

It is important that you do not plant heavy eaters such as maize or cabbage in the same location as last year, as this leaches the soil too much. There is also a risk that the crop will become more susceptible to disease, as existing pathogens can survive in the soil and may be transmitted in the spring. I therefore recommend that you always plan an alternating crop sequence. For this reason, it makes sense to create a garden plan.

Tomatoes, on the other hand, love it when they are always in the same place. Just make sure that you generously add new soil and compost to the bed in spring - or even better, in autumn. Tomato plants are very demanding and need humus-rich soil.

First sowing in February

In February, you can sow the first annual flowers in a heated greenhouse. These are, for example:

• Ageratum (liver balsam)
• Antirrhinum (snapdragon)
• Dianthus (carnation)
• Impatiens (sweet pea)
• Lobelia (lobelia)
• Petunia (petunia)
• Thunbergia (black-eyed Susan)
• Verbena (verbena)

You can sow the following in a cold frame or foil tunnel:

• Kohlrabi
• Early radishes
• Head lettuce
• Picking lettuce
• White and blue cabbage
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Mangold

Once the seeds have germinated, you should wait to prick out the seedlings until cotyledons and a first pair of leaves have developed. Now you can "separate" the young seedlings into a larger sowing tray. This process is also known as "pricking out". Pricking out is done so that the seedlings have enough space to grow for approx. 2-3 weeks.

Sow directly outdoors in March

You can sow the first vegetables directly outdoors in March. To do this, loosen the bed beforehand and hoe it deeply with a garden weeder. If there are any weeds, clear them away. Then work compost and a complete organic garden fertiliser into the soil and sow the vegetable seeds. As a rule of thumb, cover the seeds to the thickness of the seed (with the exception of light sprouts).

Sow the first suitable vegetable seeds outdoors:

The earlier you sow snap peas and snow peas, the better and more productive they will develop later in the crop. In the event of frost, you should cover the freshly sown seeds with garden fleece. If you sow directly into a cold frame, you can speed up the time to harvest.

Gardening in April

Depending on the weather, you can now do a lot of work in the garden:

The planting month of May

May is the gardening month par excellence. Now you can also sow or plant the remaining more cold-sensitive flowers and plants in their final destination. These include, for example:

• Basil
• Peppers
• Aubergine
• Melon
• Bush bean
• Nasturtium

With the warmer temperatures, you can now take your potted plants out of their winter quarters. Cut them back as required, fertilise them and then carefully acclimatise them to their new location.

Do you like romance and are you looking for a beautiful plant for a shady location? Then the hydrangea is just the plant for you. With its many large flowers, it has become a real trendsetter in recent years and is available in many different shades of colour.

Summer months June / July / August

The warmer the temperatures, the more time and watering effort you will need. You may have to water several times a day. Depending on the amount of work involved, it may be worth installing an automatic watering system.

In order to keep the lawn nice and green, it is now also important that your lawn is mowed and watered regularly.

Autumn months September / October / November

In the autumn months, there is a little more to do in the garden than in summer. There is a lot to harvest, beds to clear and pruning work to be done on perennials and shrubs. Later in the autumn there is a lot of dead leaves to rake up and take away or compost. Heat-loving potted plants should be returned to their winter quarters by the beginning of November at the latest.

As long as the ground is not frozen, you can plant flower bulbs for next spring so that they can still grow. The same applies to planting perennials, shrubs and fruit trees.

Winter month of December

December is a quiet month in the gardening year. The garden goes dormant and life moves indoors into the warmth of the parlour. Perhaps you now have the muse and desire to create an Advent plant decoration, an Advent wreath or winter door decorations
.
Or you can simply review the gardening year, enjoy the pre-Christmas Advent season with a warm punch and, like me, start planning new gardening projects for next year.

Andrea Rothenberger

a.rothenberger@gmx.ch

I discovered my love for gardening very early on and later turned my passion into my profession. For a few years now, I’ve been regularly writing blog posts and publishing articles in the HomeGardening section of myPfadFinder.com. This is where I give readers tips and tricks on gardens and balconies and present my latest gardening videos.

Find out more about me here: <a href="http://www.andreas-homegardening.com/" target="_blank">www.andreas-homegardening.com</a> more

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