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Garden Calendar
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Recycle your Christmas tree by shredding it for mulch
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Ventilate the greenhouse on sunny days
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Dig over any vacant plots that have not been dug already
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Repair and re-shape lawn edges
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Inspect stored tubers of Dahlia, Begonia and Canna for rots or drying out
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Prune apple and pear trees
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Start forcing rhubarb
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Plan your vegetable crop rotations for the coming season
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Keep putting out food and water for hungry birds
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Prepare a polythene shelter for outdoor peaches and nectarines, to protect them from peach leaf curla
a month by month guide to tasks in the garden

January
February

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Prepare vegetable seed beds, and sow some vegetables under cover
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Chit potato tubers
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Protect blossom on apricots, nectarines and peaches
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Net fruit and vegetable crops to keep the birds off
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Prune winter-flowering shrubs that have finished flowering
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Divide bulbs such as snowdrops, and plant those that need planting 'in the green'
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Prune Wisteria
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Prune hardy evergreen hedges and renovate overgrown deciduous hedges
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Prune conservatory climbers
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Cut back deciduous grasses left uncut over the winter

March

April
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Plant shallots, onion sets and early potatoes
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Protect new spring shoots from slugs
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Plant summer-flowering bulbs
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Lift and divide overgrown clumps of perennials
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Top dress containers with fresh compost
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Mow the lawn on dry days (if needed)
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Cut back Cornus (dogwood) and Salix (willow) grown for colourful winter stems
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Weeds come back in to growth - deal with them before they get out of hand
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Start feeding fish and using the pond fountain; remove pond heaters
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Open the greenhouse or conservatory doors and vents on warm day
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Keep weeds under control
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Protect fruit blossom from late frosts
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Tie in climbing and rambling roses
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Sow hardy annuals and herb seeds
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Start to feed citrus plants
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Increase the water given to houseplants
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Feed hungry shrubs and roses
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Sow new lawns or repair bare patches
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Prune fig trees
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Divide bamboos and waterlilies


May
June

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Watch out for late frosts. Protect tender plants
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Earth up potatoes, and promptly plant any still remaining
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Plant out summer bedding at the end of the month (except in cold areas)
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Collect rainwater and investigate ways to recycle water for irrigation
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Regularly hoe off weeds
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Open greenhouse vents and doors on warm days
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Mow lawns weekly
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Check for nesting birds before clipping hedges
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Lift and divide overcrowded clumps of daffodils and other spring-flowering bulbs
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Watch out for viburnum beetle and lily beetle grubs
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Hoe borders regularly to keep down weeds
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Be water-wise, especially in drought-affected areas
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Pinch out sideshoots on tomatoes
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Harvest lettuce, radish, other salads and early potatoes
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Position summer hanging baskets and containers outside
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Cut lawns at least once a week
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Plant out summer bedding
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Stake tall or floppy plants
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Prune many spring-flowering shrubs
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Shade greenhouses to keep them cool and prevent scorch
July

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Check clematis for signs of clematis wilt
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Place conservatory plants outside now that it is warm
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Water tubs and new plants if dry, but be water-wise
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Deadhead bedding plants and repeat-flowering perennials, to ensure continuous flowering
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Pick courgettes before they become marrows
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Treat apple scab
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Clear algae, blanket weeds and debris from ponds, and keep them topped up
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Order catalogues for next year’s spring-flowering bulbs
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Give the lawn a quick-acting summer feed, especially if a spring feed was not done
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Give woodwork a lick of paint or preserver, while the weather is dry

August

September

October

November

December
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Prune Wisteria
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Don’t delay summer pruning restricted fruits
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Deadhead flowering plants regularly
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Watering! Particularly containers, and new plants - preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater
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Collect seed from favourite plants
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Harvest sweetcorn and other vegetables as they become ready
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Continue cutting out old fruited canes on raspberries
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Lift and pot up rooted strawberry runners
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Keep ponds and water features topped up
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Feed the soil with green manures
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Divide herbaceous perennials
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Pick autumn raspberries
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Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals
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Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
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Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway
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Keep up with watering of new plants, using rain or grey water if possible
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Start to reduce the frequency of houseplant watering
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Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so that they are ready for use in the autumn
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Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof netting
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Plant spring flowering bulbs
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Clear up fallen autumn leaves regularly
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Cut back perennials that have died down
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Divide herbaceous perennials and rhubarb crowns
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Move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into the greenhouse
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Plant out spring cabbages
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Harvest apples, pears, grapes and nuts
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Prune climbing roses
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Order seeds for next year
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Last chance to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas
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Renovate old lawns or create new grass areas by laying turf
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Clear up fallen leaves - especially from lawns, ponds and beds
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Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent waterlogging
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Plant tulip bulbs for a spring display next year
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Prune roses to prevent wind-rock
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Plant out winter bedding
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Cover brassicas with netting if pigeons are a problem
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Insulate outdoor containers from frost - bubblewrap works well
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Stop winter moth damage to fruit trees using grease bands around the trunks
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Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden
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Use a seasonal bonfire - where this is allowed - to dispose of excess debris unfit for composting
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Check your winter protection structures are still securely in place
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Check that greenhouse heaters are working OK
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Prevent ponds and stand pipes from freezing
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Prune open-grown apples and pears (but not those trained against walls)
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Prune acers, birches and vines before Christmas to avoid bleeding
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Harvest leeks, parsnips, winter cabbage, sprouts and remaining root crops
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Deciduous trees and shrubs can still be planted and transplanted
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Take hardwood cuttings
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Keep mice away from stored produce
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Reduce watering of houseplants