Monthly Jobs On The Allotment

Discover the joys of gardening year-round with our monthly guide! From sowing seeds in January to harvesting in July, each month offers essential tasks and tips. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, our insights will inspire you to cultivate a flourishing garden. Transform your gardening experience today!

🌟 JANUARY
Sow Indoors:

Broad beans, onions from seed, leeks, chillies and microgreens on the windowsill, some early potatoes in tubs in a greenhouse.

For flowers, sow sweeteas and snapdragons
Plot Jobs:
January is the planning phase. While the soil sleeps, the mind wakes. Take time to map out your crop rotation — it helps reduce disease and nutrient imbalance. Clean, sharpen, and oil tools so they’re in peak condition. If you’ve had a Christmas tree, shred it for mulch or stack branches around delicate perennials for frost protection. It’s also a great moment for repairing any plot infrastructure, like water butts or compost bays.
Fruit Care:
Deciduous fruit trees need pruning to shape them and remove any dead or crossing branches. This directs energy toward fruiting wood for the season ahead. Apply a winter wash to reduce overwintering pests like scale insects and aphids. Check tree ties and stakes — wind damage is sneaky this time of year.
Sow Indoors:

Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, broad beans and peas in a mini greenhouse.

For flowers, make a start with chrysanthemums and geraniums.
Plot Jobs:
Start chitting your seed potatoes on a bright windowsill to encourage sturdy shoots. Cloches or fleece can be laid over beds to warm the soil in preparation for early sowings. You might still be pruning, so use clean cuts and compost disease-free prunings separately. A good dig of your heavy clay areas, leaving lumps to be broken up by frost, is a task well suited to this month.
Fruit Care:
Finish pruning currants and gooseberries to open up the bush and promote air circulation. Mulch around established fruit bushes with well-rotted manure or compost — a generous ring of fertility to wake roots up when spring comes.
Sow Indoors / Outdoors:
Carrots, parsnips, beetroot, peas, spinach, lettuce

For flowers, direct sow cosmos and cornflowers. Summer flowering bulbs can be planted after the last frost.
Plot Jobs:
Soil begins to stir this month. Rake seed beds to a fine tilth and mark out rows. Start feeding overwintered crops like kale and garlic with seaweed feed or blood fish and bone. Divide congested rhubarb crowns and replant the healthiest segments — a satisfying way to propagate and invigorate the patch.
Fruit Care:
With blossoms forming, begin protection from late frosts using fleece on frosty nights. Apply a balanced fertilizer around trees and bushes — something gentle like Growmore or a dedicated fruit feed. Keep an eye on signs of early leaf curl or mildew.
Sow Outdoors:
Beetroot, turnips, radish, spring onions, peas and maincrop potatoes. If you have a warm greenhouse try squashes and courgettes.

For flowers, sow sunflowers and nasturtiums
Plot Jobs:
Harden off seedlings gradually, giving them time to adjust to outdoor life before transplanting. Mulching becomes crucial now — it suppresses weeds and locks in moisture. Weeding is a weekly ritual; do it while they’re still small and manageable. Pinch out leggy growth and start staking climbing plants to avoid scramble later.
Fruit Care:
Tie in new growth on cane fruits like raspberries. Apple and pear fruitlets will begin forming — thin them slightly if clusters are dense to help the remaining fruit mature fully. Monitor aphids and spot treat where needed.
Sow Outdoors:
Sweetcorn, cucumbers, courgettes, beans, pumpkins and succession-sow salad crops.

For flowers, biennials like foxgloves can be sown for a following year display of flower spikes.
Plot Jobs:
Succession sowing begins in earnest — keep rotating salad crops every few weeks. Stake tall growers early to avoid damage from strong winds. Water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep rooting. At this point, your plot is waking up fast, so keep compost bins turning and monitor slug activity carefully, especially around courgette and lettuce seedlings.
Fruit Care:
Soft fruits like strawberries and currants need netting before birds take notice. Keep mulch topped up and begin feeding with high-potash fertilizer to encourage flowering and fruit development. Gently tie in vine shoots and remove any suckers at the base of fruit trees.
Sow Outdoors:
Second sowings of beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radishes.

For flowers, sow biennials and perennials for next years display of colour.
Plot Jobs:
Tomatoes will need regular attention: pinch out side shoots, water consistently, and start weekly feeding with tomato feed once fruit sets. Earthing up potatoes helps prevent greening and builds stronger yield. Water is now critical — early morning or evening is best to avoid evaporation loss.
Fruit Care:
Stone fruits like cherries benefit from post-harvest pruning to manage size and shape. Thin apples and pears again if fruits cluster too tightly. Keep a watchful eye for codling moth — pheromone traps can help monitor activity.
Sow Outdoors:
Kale, winter cabbage, chard, late lettuce, fennel. Last chance for quick summer crops.

For flowers, sow sweet williams and wallflowers for a spring display.
Plot Jobs:
Harvesting becomes an almost daily joy. Pick regularly to keep plants productive. Remove spent crops and sow new ones to keep momentum. Brassicas may need collars to deter cabbage root fly and netting to fend off pigeons. Keep plot paths tidy to reduce slug hideouts.
Fruit Care:
Berries should be picked frequently to maintain flavour and avoid rot. Remove any damaged fruit promptly. For trained fruit trees, like espaliers and fans, prune new growth to preserve shape and expose fruit to sun for ripening.
Sow Outdoors:
Pak choi, spinach, turnips, winter lettuce.

For flowers, hardy annuals can be sown for nect yerar.
Plot Jobs:
Harvest onions and dry them on racks or trays in the sun. Lift remaining early potatoes. Plant overwintering brassicas, ensuring good soil compaction to avoid root disturbance. Keep watering consistent and adjust mulch thickness based on rainfall.
Fruit Care:
Start summer pruning of cordons and trained trees to shape and balance. Apply fresh mulch to conserve moisture during hot spells. Inspect fruits for signs of split or disease, especially during wet-to-dry cycles.
Sow Outdoors:
Winter spinach, lamb’s lettuce, mizuna, salad rocket, chard, spring cabbages, green manures.

For flowers, sow hardy annuals like poppies and cornflowers. Plant out crocus, grape hyascinth and narcissi bulbs.
Plot Jobs:
Clear dying summer crops and turn the compost heap. Plant overwintering onions, garlic, and shallots. Prepare empty beds with compost or green manure. It’s a good time to test soil pH if you’re introducing lime-sensitive crops next spring.
Fruit Care:
Apple and pear harvest begins — pick with a gentle twist and store only perfect specimens. Watch for wasp damage and rot. Treat woolly aphid and scale insects before leaves fall. Keep a log of fruit performance for pruning choices later.
Sow Outdoors:
Broad beans, peas, garlic, onion sets.

Sweet peas can be grown in a coldframe or greenhaouse. Spring flowering bulbs should be planted before first frosts.
Plot Jobs:
Dig over empty beds and mulch generously. Remove crop debris to reduce disease carryover. Plant spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils and tulips to bring joy next year. Protect any tender plants with fleece or cloches
Fruit Care:
Finish harvesting tree fruits and clean up dropped leaves to reduce spread of fungal disease. Mulch around tree bases but keep away from trunks. If conditions are right, plant new fruit trees — the soil’s still warm, and roots will settle in before winter.
Sow Indoors / Outdoors
Microgreens / Onions, shallots, garlic and broad beans
Plot Jobs:
Clean greenhouses, cloches, and cold frames to get ahead of algae and mold. Add manure to resting beds — let the worms do the work over winter. If you’ve got permanent beds, sow a green manure to improve soil structure.
Fruit Care:
Rake up fallen leaves to prevent black spot and scab. Begin pruning dormant trees with clean, precise cuts. Wrap young trees with fleece or spiral guards to protect from wind scorch and rabbit nibbling.
Sow Indoors / Outdoors
Herbs on windowsills (parsley, basil) / Autumn planting onion & shallot sets
Plot Jobs:
Reflect on the season — what worked, what didn’t. This is the month for dreaming and strategy. Check stored crops, keep tools dry and oiled, and monitor compost heat. Fix fences, gates, and raised beds so the plot feels fresh come spring.
Fruit Care:
If conditions are mild, continue gentle pruning, avoiding frost-prone days. Keep an eye out for waterlogging around tree roots and clear excess mulch if needed. Make notes on varieties that thrived for future planting.

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