(Click on month for gardening task)

JAN	FEB	MAR	APR
MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG
SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC

January 
Gardening tasks for January

• Plan new beds and gardens. Do prep work.
• Till and fertilize empty beds.
• Prune and thin fruit trees and indoor plants.
• Check previous or plan seed sowing charts.
• Sharpen and clean tools, mowers, tillers etc.
• Get those spring blooming bulb in the ground!
• Plant hardy deciduous trees and shrubs, roses, pecan and fruit trees.
• Apply dormant oil to deter scale and insect pests.
• Check established plantings for lack or water.
• Draw diagrams of gardens to identify plantings. Update as things appear and bloom in the spring.
• Start a gardening journal.
• Prune oak trees susceptible to oak wilt.
• Plant pansies for color and keep deadheaded for continuous bloom.
• Read catalogs and dream of things to come!
• This is not a complete list of things to do. Check the TAMU web site http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu for more information.

 

Feburary 
Gardening tasks for February:

• Prune spring and summer flowering trees and shrubs before bud swell.
• Prune roses leaving several healthy canes.
• Plant roses, bare root fruit and nut trees, grapes and berries.
• Fertilize peach and plum trees.
• Plant gladiolas, ground covers, hollyhocks and nasturtiums.
• Plant cool season vegetables like onion, potatoes, collards, broccoli, sugar peas, beets, carrots and turnips.
• Divide late summer and fall blooming plants like cannas, fall asters, mums and perennial salvias.

 

March 
Gardening tasks for March:

• I use March 15th as our last freeze date, although there is controversy there. Just be in tune with the weather forecasts and be prepared to cover tender plants if a freeze is expected. One thing to look for is heaving of plants due to freezing and thawing. If this has occurred, gently push the plant back into the soil and lightly tamp it in with your foot. This happened with my Mahonia last week.
• March is a good time to sow seeds for vegetables. Remember that these seeds will not germinate until the soil reaches a certain temperature so be patient.
• Be sure your soil is prepared. Mix in compost or well-rotted manure.
• It is also time to plant potatoes, asparagus and horseradish.
• With the March rains, watch for areas of poor drainage and fix the problem
• Clean out all birdhouses
• Turn the compost
• Get those weeds out of the gardens before they go to seed.
• You can plant tomato and pepper plants but watch the weather closely. If tomato plants are tall enough, strip off the lower leaves, leaving at least 4. Plant the seedling in soil up to 4” of the lowest leaf. They will grow a stronger root system. FYI~tomato plants will not set fruit below 58°F or above 85°F. So my planting in February and worrying about freezing did not produce fruit any earlier last year. My seedlings are not outside yet this year!
• This is a good time to check mulch to be sure it is sufficient. Warm temperatures will be here sooner than I want.

 

April 
Gardening tasks for April:

• Sharpen mowers and hand tools.
• To help keep shovels, spades & digging forks sharp and rust free, store them plunged into a 5 gallon bucket of sand mixed with a quart of motor oil.
• Move indoor plants outside. Put them in shade for a few days to harden them off. Give them a thorough washing and water well.
• Move seedlings outside and harden them off before planting.
• Thin out lettuce, beets, carrots and radishes.
• Pull up those pecan, walnut and elm seedlings before they have a chance to grow a HUGE taproot that you have to dig out.
• Clean up all garden debris and mulch well.
• Direct sow annual seeds such as celosia, marigold, cosmos, zinnia, gomphrena, alyssum, and portulaca.
• Watch for insect pests, especially aphids and take appropriate steps to get rid of them.
• Prune early spring bloomers like forsythia, quince and wisteria after they have bloomed.
• Plant hanging baskets.
• Weed, weed, weed!!
• Rejuvenate compost bins to get them cooking again.
• Plant okra, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, caladium and gladiola.
• And always be on the alert for freezing weather.

 

May 
Gardening tasks for May

• Wear your sunscreen and wide brimmed hat and drink plenty of water when outside.
• Remove sucker growth from fruit trees.
• Thin peaches 4”-6” apart if you have any left after the hailstorms.
• Move Daffodils and Narcissus after the foliage dies back. Apply a bulb fertilizer and water in well before placing bulbs in the beds.
• Do not trim Iris foliage. Rhizomes need to store energy for next year’s blooms. It’s okay to trim off the flower stalks but leave the foliage alone.
• Deadhead all plants unless you are collecting seed.
• Turn and water the compost bins.
• Cool season vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce and spinach will begin flowering (known as bolting). Harvest or collect seed and replace with okra, pinto beans, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, pumpkins or watermelons.
• If it doesn’t rain, apply one inch of water to all beds each week
• When tomato & pepper plants set fruit, apply a side dressing of an all purpose fertilizer, about 12 inches from the base of the plants and water well.
• Check for caterpillars and loopers on all plants. BT (bacillus thuringiensis) is great for caterpillar control. But be mindful that some caterpillars become beautiful butterflies. Study butterfly host and nectar plants (or ask Robbin).
• Plant turf grass from seed, plugs, sod or sprigs. Pinch blossom heads from mums for better fall bloom.
• Check for aphids.Plant a pot of Nasturtiums and move it around the garden for aphid control. If the Nasturtiums become infested, move the pot to concrete and hose off. Place pot where you see aphids. Repeat as long as the Nasturtiums last. The blossoms are really good in salads. Just be sure they are bug-free!
• Cut off garlic heads to have larger cloves. Stake plants with large flower heads.
• Lastly, enjoy your gardens!

June 
Gardening tasks for June:

• Take stem- cuttings from woody perennials & ornamentals to produce more plants.
• If mums are tall & leggy cut back ½ & pinch off blooms.
• Deadhead lavender, coreopsis & other summer bloomers to encourage second bloom.
• Disinfect pruners & loppers with a 1/10 bleach & water solution to discourage spread of disease. Rinse well and oil blades.
• Sharpen hoes & shovels.
• Weed, weed & weed some more.
• Set sundials on June 15th. Place it so the shadow falls on 12 at EXACTLY 12 noon.
• Clean & refill hummingbird feeders every 4 days. Use 1-cup sugar to 4 cups water. DO NOT use food coloring.
• Water & turn compost bins.
• Clean & refill birdbaths. Try putting 5 pennies in each birdbath to help out with the scum.
• Get rid of standing water to discourage mosquitoes. If you have open water containers add orange peels to keep mosquitoes down.
• Look for insects on all plants.
• Replenish mulch as needed.
• Plant fall-blooming bulbs.
• Sow fall vegetable seeds such as broccoli, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, & kale late in the month.
• Continue to plant annuals & annual seeds in vacant spots.
• Net fruit trees to protect from the birds.
• Fertilize beds & roses.
• Pinch back fall bloomers like Mexican mint marigold, Mexican bush sage & asters.
• Go out & enjoy the fruits of your labor!

July 
Gardening tasks for July.

• Plant fall pansy seed.
• Water containers daily if it doesn’t rain.
• Water lawns & gardens early in the morning.
• Continue to deadhead & pinch back mums.
• Root verbenas, ivy, climbing roses, vinca, pachysandra etc. by layering into the warm soil. Bury a section of the plant that has “eyes” in the soil holding down with “U” shaped wire or rocks.
• Sow hollyhocks, foxgloves & sweetwilliam.
• Make geranium cuttings for indoor winter bloom.
• Empty areas of the vegetable garden that have finished producing & sow seeds for cool season crops such as collards & broccoli or a cover crop of clover to add nitrogen to the soil.
• If you eat bananas, bury the peels around roses to add potassium, which they love.
• Water & turn the compost bins.
• Clean up any standing water to deter mosquitoes.
• Cut back spent canna blooms to the next flower head.
• Sow zinnia seed & plant fall-blooming bulbs such as spider lilies & crocus.
• Look out for spider mites. They love dry, hot weather. To check for the little buggers, hold a piece of white paper under the suspect plant & thump the leaves. If you see little, tiny moving “dots”, yup, you have mites. Use a strong spray of water to control.
• Start your fall gardens.

August 
Gardening tasks for August.

• Divide, disinfect and replant iris. To disinfect, dip rhizomes in a 10-1 water and bleach solution.
• Start seeds for broccoli, collards, brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnip greens and cauliflower
• Water and turn compost bins
• Collect wildflower seeds.
• Water lawns thoroughly and deeply and check for grubs. Treat if more than 5-7 grubs are found per square foot.
• Mulch beds where the mulch has composted. Keep weeds pulled before they go to seed.
• Plant agastaches, sedums, salvias, fall asters and plumbago for Fall color
• If tomato plants are not in bloom, cut back by 1/3 to ensure fall crops.
• Plant new tomato transplants and keep them watered.
• Assess your gardens for bare spots and lack of texture.
• Make garden plans to for future plantings to have year round color.
• Look for spider mites on any plant.
• If you have to be out, be sure to wear a wide-brimmed hat, use sunscreen and drink plenty of water. Keep cool! And admire your gardens from inside!

September 
Gardening tasks for September

• Order wildflower seeds and spring blooming bulbs. Pay close attention to our time zone and use only reputable companies.
• Deadhead roses and crape myrtles and remove unproductive growth.
• Divide iris, disinfect rhizomes and transplant or give away. I’ll never turn down a free iris!
• Sever layered rootings, taken in July, from the mother plants and transplant directly into the soil.
• Plant a row of lettuce, spinach and greens every two weeks from now until mid October to ensure a continuing harvest.
• Plant broccoli, beets, cabbage, bok choy, collards, cauliflower, chard, turnips, carrots, and radish if you haven’t done so.
• Sow seeds of snapdragon, pansy, astilbe, calendula, dianthus, viola, candytuft, statice, clarksia, Shasta daisy, columbine, statice, poppy, penstemon, hollyhock, lunarias, coreopsis, coral bells, campanula and sweet william.
• Plant ornamental cabbage and kale.
• Prune out dead and diseased wood from shrubs and trees. Leave the heavy pruning until mid-winter.
• Divide spring flowering perennials like gaillardia, rudbeckia, canna, daylilies, ajuga, violets and liriope.
• Mulch all new plantings.
• Keep all plants watered well, especially those with green fruit or berries.
• Keep hummingbird feeders cleaned and full of nectar.
• Plant container- grown shrubs and trees and keep watered.
• Clean up around all fruit trees, remove any dried fruit and discard to lessen the threat of fungal problems in the spring.
• Water and turn the compost piles.
• Collect seed from annuals that have done well and store in cool, dry, dark place. Prescription bottles are great for storing seed!
• Plant chrysanthemums. Be sure the plants have a good root system to support any blooms that are present.
• Fertilize perennials and deciduous trees one more time. Then stop fertilizing to promote root growth rather than tender stem growth.
• Prepare wildflower beds and remember that these have a hard time competing with grasses so prepare the beds with that in mind.
• Prepare beds for spring blooming bulbs and add lots of organic matter. Be sure the bed has good drainage so the bulbs do not rot.
• Lightly prune and fertilize roses.
• Plant Mexican Mint Marigold, fall asters, ornamental grasses Mexican Bush Salvia and sedums.
• If anticipating moving a small tree, root prune it now to reduce transplant shock when moved later in the year.
• Be sure to label all new plants in the garden to reduce the risk of digging up after dormancy sets in.

October 
Gardening tasks for October

• Start planting bulbs in containers for holiday color. Use amaryllis, paperwhites, and hyacinths.
• Move non-cold hardy plants inside at the end of the month. Be sure to check for insects and disease. Give all a good blast from the water hose.
• Plant pansies, sweet william, poppies, calendulas, snapdragons, violas, dianthus, pinks, flowering kale and cabbage.
• Sow wildflower seeds for spring color. Make sure seeds are in contact with the soil.
• Buy and plant spring blooming bulbs. Be sure to use bone meal covered with 2” of soil.
• Plant onion, garlic and leeks. Remember to plant 1015 onions on the 15th.
• Test the soil in the vegetable garden and add what is suggested.
• Root prune any trees or shrubs you plan to move in the spring.
• Keep bird feeders clean and filled.
• Take cuttings from herbs for windowsill gardens.
• Plant a cover crop of legumes in unused beds or till in compost. Till legumes under in early spring for a boost of nitrogen.
• Plant grapevines.
• Plant Swiss chard, collards, kohlrabi, mustard greens, rutabaga, spinach, cilantro, dill and strawberries.
• Overseed lawns with rye grass.
• Divide and transplant iris, day lily, phlox and violet.
• Prune damaged or diseased branches from shrubs and trees in late fall or early winter and destroy Do not add to compost.
• Turn and water compost piles.
• Mulch all beds.
• Cut back perennial herbs to encourage well-branched growth next year.
• Dry or freeze cuttings or root them for indoors.
• Plant trees and shrubs.
• Clean up the gardens.
• Pull spent annuals.
• Watch for blackspot on roses.
• Start raking leaves and put on the compost pile.

November  
Gardening tasks for November

• Pull dead annuals and, if not diseased, add to the compost pile.
• Cut (do not pull) flower heads and dry foliage from perennials.
• Drain hoses, turn off irrigation systems and cover faucets if a freeze is predicted.
• Cover winter squash. A slight frost will improve the flavor by converting starch to sugar.
• Plant garlic, kale, turnips, pansies, flowering kale and cabbage and snapdragons.
• Plant dormant trees.
• Dry herbs for Holiday greenery. Use Artemisia, Rosemary, Thyme, Elaeagnus, English Ivy and Nandina.
• Take cuttings of herbs for new plants.
• Sow rows of poppies, bachelor’s button, larkspur and sweet pea for Spring color.
• Plant spring bulbs and Spring and Summer blooming perennials like daisies, daylilies and iris.
• Cut mums back to 2-3” after blooms fade.
• Test your soil.
• Cut back tender herbs like lemon grass and freeze.
• Move pot plants inside. Be sure to look closely for insects.
• Add mulch to all beds.
• Water and turn compost piles. Add those leaves!
• Pick tomatoes before a freeze. Let ripen indoors.
• Put out bird feeders and keep filled.
• Water all plants.
• Mulch strawberry plants 2-4” to protect from freeze.
• Order seeds for planting next Spring.

December  
Gardening tasks for December

• Plant spring blooming perennials such as foxglove, columbine, salvia, and gaillardia. Clean, sharpen and oil garden tools.
• Plant dormant asparagus crowns.
• Choose a living Christmas Tree. No place to put it? Donate it to the Master Gardeners. We will find the appropriate placement for it.
• If you plan to purchase a cut tree, re-cut the trunk 2” from the base and plunge into a bucket of tepid water to keep the wound from sealing over. Never let water in the tree stand dry out. Check the tree daily for dry needles and if found, discard the tree immediately.
• Plant bare-root roses found in garden centers.
• Clean and sharpen lawn mowers and drain the fuel.
• Plant pansy, ornamental cabbage and kale, dianthus and snapdragons.
• Spray dormant trees, shrubs, raspberries and other deciduous plants with dormant spray to control over-wintering insects and diseases.
• Prune evergreens to shape. Cut foliage and canes from existing plants like lantana.
• Plant hardy trees and shrubs.
• Turn and water compost bins or piles. Watch for steam rising and you’ll know its working!
• Prepare new beds by weeding, tilling and adding organic materials. Use those leaves that are so abundant this time of year.
• Remove wind-broken, dead, freeze damaged, diseased or insect injured wood and branches from trees and shrubs. Avoid severely pruning but never leave stubs. These do not heal properly and invite disease and insect infestations.
• Do not prune roses now.
• Water lawns and trees if it doesn’t rain. The winds dry out the plants and the ground. Mow leaves or gather for the compost piles. A thick layer of leaves on the lawn just invites disease problems.
• Peek at all those gardening catalogs and order seed for planting later.
• If you haven’t done so yet, clean out the vegetable gardens and work in organic matter into the soil.
• Birds will need more attention now until spring. Keep feeders clean and filled and be sure to provide water and grit beds. When it freezes break the ice in the birdbaths. Titmouse, Goldfinch, Chickadees, sparrows and many other birds will show at your feeders and birdbaths. Be sure to provide an assortment of seeds like thistle, millet, safflower and sunflower. Build a “Gorp Log” filled with a peanut mixture. For details contact the Hood County Extension Office at 817 579-3280 for information
• Transplant perennials only if they are completely dormant.
• Wait to prune fruit trees.
• Test your soil and make the recommended amendments. Soil test bags and instructions are available at the Hood County Extension Office at 817 579-3280.
• Dream of spring!
• Water houseplants.
• Take hardwood cuttings.
• Check the bulbs you are forcing. Bring out into bright indirect sunlight. Hopefully they will bloom by Christmas.
• Put away or clean and cover outdoor furniture. All wooden furniture will benefit from oiling with linseed oil.
• Do not store firewood in the house since insects harbor there. Store outside and bring in as needed. Never treat firewood with insecticides.
• Buy Christmas cactus, cyclamen, kalanchoe and poinsettia to brighten up the home. Remove all foil wraps and repot in good potting soil.
• Walk around your gardens. Observe frosts patterns-where frost kills, where it doesn’t- and write down the information. You may find plants thriving in surprise places indicating microclimates. Use this information for future plantings. If a freeze is predicted, water all plants. Moist soil absorbs and radiates heat better than dry soil. Be very careful not to get foliage wet.
• Root prune trees for transplanting in January.