JANUARY
Top priorities for January: With only the mildest days coaxing you outdoors, focus on ordering seeds and mapping out your planting plan for the allotment. Plan what to grow and determine where each crop will thrive best on your plot.
FEBRUARY
Key Tasks for February: February's weather can be unpredictable, ranging from persistent rain and sleet to sudden bursts of sunshine. If the ground isn't frozen or too wet, take the opportunity to finish winter digging and enrich the soil with plenty of organic matter.
MARCH
As winter fades, it's time to start sowing and planting outdoors. The most valuable task this month is preparing your beds—clear any lingering weeds, rake the soil thoroughly, and enrich it with fertilizer.
APRIL
April Tasks: While harvests may be sparse this month, it's the perfect time to get ahead by sowing seeds indoors or in a cold frame.
MAY
May brings longer days, warmer temperatures, and hopefully plenty of sunshine. It's the ideal time to start planting and sowing outdoors, but wait until the risk of frost has passed before transplanting tender seedlings. Harden off indoor-grown plants before planting and stay vigilant against night time slug attacks.
JUNE
June marks the transition from spring to summer and the year's midpoint. It's the last chance to sow many seeds and the first opportunity to harvest some crops. While frost is unlikely now, be on guard against increased attacks from insects, birds, slugs, and snails.
JULY
July is the peak of summer, bringing long days and high temperatures. With luck, you're harvesting fresh produce from your plot. As this month can be dry, consistent watering is essential to keep crops thriving.
AUGUST
By now, nearly everything you've sown and nurtured since spring is reaching its peak. Regular visits to your plot should reward you with a bounty of peas, beans, carrots, beetroot, sweetcorn, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, onions, salads, berries, currants, and more.
SEPTEMBER
Top Tasks for September: As autumn begins, early crops are winding down while later crops reach their peak. Now is the time to harvest maincrop potatoes, pull leeks, and pick apples, pears, and late-season plums. The growing season is far from over!
OCTOBER
October marks the shift in seasons, with shorter days, a lower sun, and cooler temperatures. Leaves change color and begin to fall, and the first frosts may appear. Now is the time to focus on clearing away and composting the remnants of summer's harvest.
NOVEMBER
These months call for a sharp pair of secateurs as pruning begins in earnest. With fruit bushes and trees shedding their leaves and entering dormancy, now is the ideal time to prune except for cherries and plums.
DECEMBER
Focus on winter digging, clearing weeds, and adding compost or well rotted manure to your beds. Mulch around the base of existing fruit trees and bushes, and prepare the soil for planting new fruit stock.
