A year on the plot
My own sowing and jobs calendar for a cold site in a frost pocket. Yours will differ by a few weeks either way.
- January
- Order seed. Clean pots. Look at the rhubarb and do nothing.
- February
- Chit potatoes. Sow onions and leeks indoors at the end of the month.
- March
- Sow tomatoes and peppers indoors. Broad beans out if the ground allows.
- April
- Plant potatoes. Sow courgettes and squash indoors in the last week.
- May
- Harden off. Do not trust a clear sky. Tender plants out after the third weekend.
- June
- Sow beans direct. Pinch out tomato side shoots. Water at the base.
- July
- Pick courgettes small and often. Watch for blight in warm, wet spells.
- August
- Leave the best bean pods for seed. Sow winter salads.
- September
- Lift maincrop potatoes. Cure squash in the sun.
- October
- Plant garlic. Lift dahlias after the first frost. Compost on the beds.
- November
- Collect leaves for leaf mould. Sow broad beans for next year.
- December
- Mend the shed. Write down what went wrong while it's still fresh.