Year-At-a-Glance Garden Checklist (What To Get Done Each Season)

Follow along with this helpful garden job list to know what to get done month by month through each season. Includes tasks, tips, and tutorials for cold climate gardeners in the United States and Canada (hardiness zones 4 to 8).

You can also find more seasonal garden tips here.

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Garden Tasks —Season By Season

It takes several growing seasons as a new gardener to come up with a good rhythm and routine to ensure we get the important stuff done—when it needs doing—along with some top wish list items.

This seasonal jobs list shares my basic routine as a gardener from January to December.

I grow annuals and perennials including flowers, fruit, vegetables, and herbs, and do my seed starting both indoors and outdoors. The more I grow as a gardener, the more I focus on eco-beneficial garden choices. This means you won’t find recommendations for things that harm the earth, water, or air.

Any linked words will take you to more detailed information about each task.

As with most things I share, this information is intended for gardeners in hardiness zones 4 to 8—a range I am most familiar with. And, while no two gardens are the same and no two garden years are the same, you should find lots of helpful prompts to decide what you want to get done in your growing space as the seasons roll by.

Remember to take lots of pictures and make notes as you go. They can be so helpful for future reference.

Contents

• Winter to Early Spring | January, February, March
• Spring to Early Summer | April, May, June
• Summer to Early Fall | July, August, September
• Fall to Early Winter | October, November, December
• Recommended Resources

Winter to Early Spring

January, February, March

We start the year tucked away indoors, pouring through seed catalogs, and planning the garden year ahead.

Because many trees are dormant in winter, it’s prime time for most tree pruning. Just a few months later, the sap is flowing and it’s syrup-making time.

By February or March, we’ve got our seeds ordered, the grow lights set up, and supplies ready to go.

By April it’s go-time with the bulk of our indoor seed starting underway. This is when we realize there is only so much space for all these plants as they grow!

Grow

Outdoor Planting, Sowing, & Preparations

• Printable Garden Planner | Use these printable templates to help plan your garden year.
• Containers | Check on potted plants in storage including bulbs and small fruit trees. Keep lightly watered and mouse-proof.
• Winter Vegetable Garden | Monitor and water as needed. On warm days, open covers for air circulation.
• Vegetable Garden Plan | Use my week-by-week sowing plan to start vegetable seeds indoors and sow directly outdoors from spring to fall. These vegetables need a really early start.
• Pruning | Dead, damaged, and diseased branches can be removed any time. You can also prune many deciduous trees and shrubs (that drop their leaves in fall) 4-6 weeks before last frost, specifically those that bud or flower in late spring and summer—not early spring. Look up your species for specific instructions.
  
  The two hydrangea species that get pruned in early spring are smooth hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens), also known as Annabelle, and Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata) or peegees. 
• Compost | Turn your compost pile during any warm spells (unless it’s frozen).
• Organize Your Seeds | This shows two smart and simple storage ideas.
• Winter Seed Sowing | The “milk jug” method is one way to give seeds a jump start outdoors.
• Tap Trees | It’s time to collect sap when temperatures start jumping above and below freezing each day. Get your supplies ready.
• Cool Season Growing | If you are planning a cool-tolerant spring vegetable garden, now is the time to get seeds and supplies in order.

Pond & Wildlife

• Pond Life | Keep a recirculating pump and/or de-icer running in your pond to prevent the surface from freezing over. Be sure there is an air hole to provide oxygen for fish.
• Bird Feeders | Provide homemade suet and fresh, running water for wild birds.
• Nesting Boxes | Have species-specific nesting boxes ready for mating season.

Indoor Growing

• Order Seeds | I like SeedsNow and Botanical Interests (US Shipping) and West Coast Seeds (Canada).
• Seed Starting Supplies | Get containers, growing medium, and LED lights or fluorescent lights ready for sowing.
• Force Bulbs | Brighten up your days by forcing tulips, amaryllis, and more indoors.
• Flower Again | Use these tips to get poinsettias and Christmas / Thanksgiving cactus to rebloom.
• Grow Salad Greens | Get your dose of garden endorphins by growing delicious salad greens indoors. These are one of several fast-growing indoor vegetables.

Spring to Early Summer

April, May, June

Hello, Spring! As winter melts away, spring rains and freezes come and go. Our job is to get our timing right without planting too early or too late and having covers ready in case of late frosts.

Besides the time of year, the temperature of your soil is an excellent indicator of seed sowing time. Most seeds need consistent temperatures of 60°F (15°C) or warmer (at sowing depth).

When new perennial growth is a foot tall, you can remove some of last year’s growth—but be sure to leave some hollow stems for insects and other invertebrates. That’s their habitat.

June marks the start of summer, lots of warmth, and the longest days of the year.

Hold off any weeding or moving plants until you know what they are! It’s often hard to identify perennials early in the growing season.

Free Printable Checklist

This checklist goes into lots of detail for spring garden tasks and planting.

Grow

Indoor Sowing

• Planting | Start dahlias indoors in containers six weeks before your last frost. Direct outdoor planting should wait until the risk of frost has passed.

Outdoor Planting, Sowing, & Preparations

Hold off transitioning tender plants outdoors (known as “hardening off”) until the risk of frost has passed unless you have season extenders like frost cloths or a polytunnel to protect them.

• Containers | As we reach last frost it’s time to start waking up plants you have overwintered. Gradually introduce them to outdoor conditions.
• Seed Sowing | Some cool-tolerant veggies including pea, spinach, and carrots can be sown directly outdoors a few weeks before last frost. Warmth-lovers like tomatoes and eggplant need to wait until after last frost when the ground has warmed to 60°F (15°C) or more.
• Pest Control | To prevent critters from destroying seedlings, use squirrel screens over your raised beds.
• Compost | Continue turning your compost pile on warmer days. Add finished compost to any bare garden beds.
• Propagation | There are many plants you can propagate from softwood cuttings at this time of year.
• Water Management | Once the risk of hard frosts is over it’s time to set up rain barrels and water hoses.
• Plant Shopping | If there are certain must-have plants on your wish list, get them at the start of the season. Otherwise, you may be out of luck. Hold off on easy-to-get plants—they will likely be available during discount sales.

Pond

• Pond Care | As temperatures warm, it’s time to move aquatic plants to their summer positions in the pond. Do any required maintenance before frogs and fish start spawning.

Wild Things

• Hummingbirds | If you live in a hummingbird migration zone, have your feeders up and ready two weeks before the anticipated arrival date.
• Nesting Boxes | Have nesting boxes in place for species like chickadees, wrens, and bluebirds. Each need a box specifically designed to suit their nesting habits.

Indoor Growing

• Harden Seedlings | About two weeks before last frost it’s time to get any seedlings you’ve started indoors ready for life outdoors. A gradual transition is best.
• Houseplants | As the sun becomes stronger, you may need to move houseplants back from windows to avoid excess sun and drying out during the warmer months.

Summer to Early Fall

July, August, September

For some of us July marks the peak of summer. Our gardens are looking their best and it’s time to enjoy them before the first signs of Autumn start creeping in.

Many early vegetables crops will be harvested and you may be on second or third plantings of any crops with shorter days to maturity.

Be careful not to neglect container plants. They may need to be watered daily and moved out of direct sun during hot spells.

August is the time to start seeds for fall and winter vegetable growing.

As evenings become cooler, tender plants like tomatoes may need protective covers to buy them more time to mature.

Free Printable List

Grow

Outdoor Planting, Sowing, & Maintenance

• Succession Sowing | As early crops mature, keep sowing to ensure continuous harvests. If you get hot summers, avoid planting vegetables prone to bolting until temperatures start to cool off.
• Midsummer Vegetable Sowing | There are plenty of fast-growing crops that can mature before fall frosts as well as others to start for fall-winter growing.
• Midsummer Flower Sowing | We often think it’s too late to sow flowers mid-summer but it’s really not. See the list for lots of options.
• Compost | This is prime time for fast composting. Keep turning your pile, don’t let it dry out, keep the greens and browns balanced, and apply ready compost in your garden beds.
• Propagation | There are plenty of plants you can grow from semi-ripe cuttings midsummer.
• Deadhead | Snip off old flower heads to make room for second blooms but always leave some for birds and seed saving as well.
• Buy Seed Garlic | Local garlic growers often sell out of the best varieties by late summer so shop early for hard-to-get favorites.
• Divide & Move Perennials | This is a task for cooler summer days after a good rain—not during heat waves. Any larger plants can often be split into several smaller ones and used to fill in other parts of the garden.
• Apply Beneficial Nematodes | If you have a serious grub issue, fall is the time to apply beneficial nematodes to help reduce the larvae population.

Pond

• Clean Pond Water | If your pond water is murky, use my Empress of Dirt method for sparkling clean water without adding any chemicals to the water.

Fall to Early Winter

October, November, December

Leaves are dropping and cooler temperatures are setting in. Summer harvests are finishing up and it’s time to add protective covers are ready to protect cold season crops.

Tender perennials like blueberry bushes and strawberries in containers get a layer of straw mulch around the roots.

The weather can be so unpredictable but I always try and error on the side of caution, and get things done a little early. Otherwise, an early freeze can do a lot of damage both to property and plants.

Free Printable Checklist

This checklist provides a thorough fall garden task list with high priority, medium priority, and nice-to-get-done items.

Reminders include protecting patio furniture and breakable garden art, getting garden beds ready for spring, cleaning out water lines and putting hoses away, seed saving, and indulging in some cool-hardy crops for year-round growing.

Grow

Outdoor Planting, Sowing, & Maintenance

• Flower Bulbs | Order flower bulbs and get them planted before the ground freezes.
• Plant Garlic | There are so many varieties of garlic to try. Plant around first frost.
• Sow Flower Seeds | There are plenty of flower seeds to sow in fall for blooms next year. These are ones that need a cold winter to trigger germination later.
• Save Your Leaves | Grind up fall leaves with your lawnmower. Use them as mulch on garden beds and to create leaf mold.
• Compost | Get your winter compost system ready. Save those scraps year-round!
• Plant Cover Crops | Any bare soil can be enriched and protected by growing winter cover crops.
• Divide Large Perennials | Plants like astilbe and peonies can be divided and transplanted a few weeks before first frost.
• Propagate | Fall is last call for propagating plant cuttings. Get them ready now and they can sit dormant in trays outdoors for the winter. Growth will resume in spring. Options include blueberry, currants, dogwood, elder, and more.
• Save Seeds | As flowers turn to seed, it’s time to collect seed pods for future sowing.
• Overwinter Container Plants | Now is the time to decide if you’re keeping tender perennials for next year. Some can come indoors as houseplants (with de-bugging first). Others can be stored in a shed and insulated with straw to keep the soil temperature above freezing.
• Straw Mulch | Add straw mulch or another organic material like leaves to cover the roots of tender perennials and protect bare soil in garden beds.
• Save Geraniums (Pelargoniums) | These popular annual flowers are long-living. You can grow them as houseplants or keep them dormant in storage until spring.
• Plant Mums | Some mums sold as fall decorations can be planted as perennials.
• Prune | Fall is the time to remove any dead, damaged, or diseased branches and make a note of any pruning to do in winter when trees are dormant.
• Plant Trees | Get them in the ground and water deeply before the ground freezes.
• Create Seed Pod Bouquets | Leave as much natural debris as you can. This is vital food and habitat for all the living things in our gardens.
• Tools | Clean, repair, and organize tools and any garden items in storage.
• Take Notes | Jot down everything you want to remember for the garden season ahead.

Pond

• Winterize Pond & Water Features | Within a few weeks of first frost it’s time to prepare plants and fish for the winter ahead. Protect vulnerable aquatic plants (usually by placing their pots lower in the pond) and keep a recirculating pump going to prevent the pond from freezing over. I also use a floating de-icer.

Wildlife

• Prepare Bird Feeders | Now is the time to sanitize and repair your bird feeders, stock up on winter feed including black oil sunflower seeds and set up your feeding stations.
• Hummingbird Feeders | You can keep feeders up (using this hummingbird sugar water recipe) until first frost. Glass feeders may break if frozen.
• Clean Out Nesting Boxes | Empty, clean, and repair nesting boxes so they are ready to go in late winter and early spring following these bird feeder cleaning tips.

Indoors

• Holiday Cactus | Encourage your Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter cactus to bloom.
• Poinsettia | Keep your poinsettia as a year-round houseplant that can rebloom.
• Force Bulbs | Use my timing charts to make bulbs bloom indoors just in time for the holidays.

Resources

Buy The Gardening Year Poster
This artwork is available at my Red Bubble shop as a poster, spiral notebook, and more.

Phew! It’s a whirlwind and there’s always more we can do and learn—but that’s also why gardening is the best.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛