Plan & prepare for the gardening season
The start of the season
In spring, everything comes together in the garden and you want to get everything done at the same time. However, with the right planning, you can make many preparations in advance and get the new season off to a flying start.
January/February: Planning
If you haven't given any thought to bed planning over the winter, now is the time! Take a moment to recap last year's experiences. Which crops worked well in your garden and which didn't? Which vegetable plants do you definitely want to grow this year? Make sure that no plants of the same family grow in the same place as last season. The combination of plants in the bed is also crucial for their growth!
End of February: First sowings
- In warm places: In a frost-free greenhouse or cold frame, you can now sow lettuce, kohlrabi, radishes, spring herbs and celery
- On the windowsill: herbs such as cress, chervil, basil, rocket, lavender, sage and rosemary. To give the nightshade plants enough time, you can now start to propagate peppers, eggplants and tomatoes
- Outdoors (only in mild climates!): Broad beans and spinach are not very sensitive to the cold and can already grow in cooler conditions.
March: Sowing & planting
- Plant: lettuce, kohlrabi, rhubarb root pieces, Jerusalem artichokes. March is also the perfect time to plant fruit trees and shrubs
- Sowing: salsify, parsnips, carrots, onions, lettuce, radishes, spring radishes, turnips, broad beans and spinach can cope with a moderately cold spring climate. Leeks, cauliflower, pointed cabbage, white cabbage and savoy cabbage can be sown under cover and later transplanted outdoors. They develop faster under protection. The first peas are also ready from the end of March
- Preparation indoors: Seed potatoes can be placed next to each other in a bright, moderately warm place for pre-sprouting.
April: Final preparations
- Prepare the last beds and planters for their future inhabitants - Plant cabbage and lettuce seedlings in the garden
- Plant out perennial herbs such as lemon balm, tarragon, chives, lovage, peppermint, sage, thyme and lavender and sow them outdoors
- Towards the end of April, you can slowly acclimatize the first tomato, zucchini and cucumber seedlings to outdoor conditions. Place them outside for a few hours during the day, but keep them indoors at night
- In the herb garden, most aromatic herbs are sown outdoors. Heat-loving herbs such as basil and marjoram should still be kept in sheltered places, e.g. on the windowsill or in the greenhouse.
May: Even sensitive plants can go into the bed
Finally, May is here! It marks the start of the gardening season and there's no need to hold back any longer. Plants that need warmth and are sensitive, such as cucumbers, zucchinis, tomatoes, peppers, sweetcorn and artichokes, stay indoors until after the ice saints and then move to the vegetable patch. Otherwise, you can sow and plant whatever your heart desires from May!
