What should you be growing each month to get your garden looking its best? Premier Polytunnels kindly sent us through tips for each month, take a look at these below:
January:
Much like giving your home a much-needed spring clean to start the year afresh, January is the perfect month to prep and ensure you’re ready for the gardening year ahead.
If you have a greenhouse or polytunnel, then green vegetables such as pak choi and winter lettuces can be planted.
Whilst it may not appeal to fair-weather gardeners, getting out and prepping your garden, ensuring weeding and mulching is well underway will set you up nicely for the year.
Pruning can commence. Pay particular attention to rose bushes.
While it may not be the best time to start planting for many garden varieties, bare root plants will survive the harsher climates and so these can be dug in.
Making time for garden projects such as laying new paths, putting up or repairing netting and fences, and ensuring you have bulbs ordered for the coming months can all be done this month too.
You should be able to spot daffodils and crocuses starting to poke their way through the soil.
February:
Garden prep and maintenance such as weeding and mulching can continue into February.
Carry out routine maintenance on plants such as perennials, ensuring they are cut well back.
If you live in more southern, warmer parts of the UK, carrots can be grown with the aid of a greenhouse or polytunnel.
Annuals, such as lilies, and flowers such as sweet peas, pansies, and daisies, as well as perennials can be sown and planted this month, but make sure the weather is fair enough for you to do so, as February can often be one of the coldest months of the year.
Indoors and in pots, with the aid of a warm spot such as an airing cupboard, you can begin to germinate tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines.
Crocuses, daffodils, and snowdrops will all add a splash of colour to your garden as they bloom in February.
March:
The weather in March can be a bit hit or miss for gardening, with frozen ground being a common site across the UK.
With this in mind, wait until the weather becomes kinder before you begin your planting in March, usually towards the latter part of the month.
The planting of root vegetables can begin with carrots and turnips and the like.
Other veggies you could make a start on, should you wish, include the salads (radishes, lettuces, cress, etc.), as well as the heartier vegetables including leeks, spouts and broccoli varieties.
Early potato crops can be started in March.
French beans and herbs can be started if you have use of a polytunnel or similar, whilst indoors, you can begin the initial stages of growing tomatoes before moving them outdoors at a later stage.
April:
The weather is starting to warm up, so gardening, even for the fairer weathered among us will be a much more enjoyable pastime.
For much of the UK, you will still be catching up on your to do list from March, thanks to the good old British weather.
Get that second round of early potatoes planted this month.
You can also look to plant – initially in pots – beans such as broad and mangetout.
Look to expand the herbs you’re cultivating too, why not plant some chives, especially if you’re new to the world of gardening, as they are fairly low-maintenance in terms of growth and upkeep.
May:
The temperatures truly start to rise in May, meaning most herbs can be grown outdoors now.
Unfortunately, weeding will be a necessity this month as the warmer weather will be helping these to grow in abundance.
Continue utilising your undercover garden areas too, even in the warmer months. Basil will flourish if grown in correct conditions in a greenhouse or polytunnel type structure.
Ensure you keep up with the planting of salad and root veg now too, as well as more additions to your potato crop, to be harvested later in the year.
In preparation for the next round of growing, pull out any tulip bulbs ahead of planting your next lot.
June:
Congratulations, you can finally begin to harvest those early potato crops, perfect for summer salads or served with fish dishes. Depending on when and how many you have planted, harvesting can usually continue well into October.
It’s also time to move outside any of the summer veggies you’ve started off inside your polytunnel – tomatoes, cucumbers, lesser hardy leafy salads, etc.
Strawberry plants can be added to your garden in June, but ensure you cover them over with nets to prevent them being eaten.
You can also begin to dead head any flowers that are past their best, to encourage them to grow again next year.
Sowing and planting can begin this month for your autumn and winter harvests too – think root veg and beets.
July & August:
Spring onions can be sown in July. So too can the last of the root vegetable crop for the year.
Most of what you plant now will be ready to eat in the colder, winter months, so ensure you opt for winter salad varieties going into August.
Keep tending to those summer berries such as strawberries and raspberries to avoid disappointment due to unwanted critters when it comes to harvesting them later on.
You should, towards the middle of August, be able to pick some of those delicious summer fruits.
Ensure you keep up with a regular watering schedule, especially when the weather begins to hot up and rainy days make less of an appearance.
September & October:
The last of the potato and root vegetable crops can be enjoyed across these autumn months.
A polytunnel will allow you to extend your growing season somewhat, so make use of these where possible.
You can enjoy some wonderful bonfires across these colder months, making use of the fallen leaves and dried plants that will undoubtedly find their way into your garden.
Spring greens can be planted, and will continue to grow throughout the winter months, ready to be enjoyed in the earlier part of the following year.
Onions too can be planted in September. So too can daffodil bulbs ready for spring awakening, and peonies too.
November & December:
Due to the weather conditions and bitter temperatures, November and December are best spent getting the garden tidied up ahead of starting the cycle again in the new year.
Keep on top of dead leaves and rotting vegetation.
If you have a pond, ensure any ice is broken on a regular basis to enable the wildlife that inhabits it to breathe and restore itself.
Garlic is the perfect bulb for planting in the latter half of the year, so why not give it a go?
These are very useful tips from Premier Polytunnels, Suton Manor also gave hints and tips as to how to get your garden in top tip shape.
