A brief guide …
Autumn (Tidying & Soil Prep Phase)
- October: Lift maincrop potatoes before heavy frosts, harvest the last of the runner beans and peas, store winter squashes and pumpkins, and plant out garlic and rhubarb crowns.
- November: Clear dead plant material into the compost heap, insulate outdoor taps, plant bare-root fruit trees and bushes, and mulch empty beds with well-rotted manure or leaf mould.
- December: Service and oil tools, review your crop-rotation plan for next year, order seed catalogues, and protect stored root crops from frost.
Winter (Quiet & Planning Phase)
- January: Start chitting early seed potatoes in egg boxes, force early rhubarb under pots or buckets, prune apple and pear trees, and clean or sharpen tools. Sow broad beans, leeks, and onions under cover.
- February: Cut autumn-fruiting raspberry canes down to ground level, sow peas and broad beans under glass, and prepare empty seed beds when weather permits.
- March: Finish winter digging, plant first-early potatoes outdoors, sow carrots, parsnips, and brassicas directly into prepared soil, and weed thoroughly.
Spring (Busiest Sowing & Planting Phase)
- April: Plant maincrop potatoes (“earthing up” shoots), sow hardy annuals and outdoor vegetables like beetroot and spinach, and net emerging fruit crops against birds.
- May: Harden off and plant out tender crops (tomatoes, courgettes, beans) after the last frost risk passes. Earth up potato rows and protect strawberries with cloches.
- June: Stake and tie in tall flowers and tomatoes, thin out side-shoots, and stay proactive with slug, snail, and aphid monitoring.
Summer (Harvest & Maintenance Phase)
- July: Harvest garlic, onions, and early potatoes. Water and feed heavy-feeding crops (tomatoes, courgettes, squashes) regularly, and keep on top of summer weed control.
- August: Pick French beans, runner beans, and blackberries. Support leeks, pinch out runner bean tips, and prune blackcurrants and summer raspberries after fruiting.
- September: Harvest maincrop apples, plums, and squashes. Clear spent summer crops, sow green manures on bare soil, and plant spring cabbages or winter-hardy onions.
For a more detailed month guide visit the National Allotment Society’s site.
