Seasonal Garden Care: From Spring Prep to Winter

Watch the temperature, not the calendar

Garden planners often say to plant this in one month and that in another, but temperatures differ by region and from year to year on the same date. The south and the north, the coast and inland, a sheltered apartment balcony and a windy rooftop are completely different environments in the same season. So treat dates as a rough guide and decide based on the forecast lows and how your own garden actually looks. Crop guides from local agricultural extension offices or public agencies help too. Jot down planting dates, weather and results in a small notebook or notes app, and by the second year you'll have a calendar made for your own home.

Spring: wake the soil and dodge late frosts

In spring, start by tending the soil that rested all winter. Loosen compacted soil, pick out old roots, and mix in compost or fresh potting mix. Cool-loving greens like lettuce and spinach can start in early spring, but heat-loving fruiting crops like peppers, eggplant and tomatoes should wait until the risk of late frost has passed. Rush them out because the days are warm, and a sudden cold night can badly damage seedlings. If you've bought transplants and nights are still chilly, set them outside by day and bring them in at night for a few days to harden them off.

• Loosen compacted soil and pick out old roots
• Mix in compost or fresh mix
• Cool crops early, warm crops after the last frost
• Harden off new transplants for a few days

Summer: getting through rain and heat

Summer gardens face two hurdles: the rainy season and heat waves. During long rains the soil never dries, roots can't breathe, and disease spreads easily. Empty saucers of standing water, move pots that take direct rain under cover, and thin out crowded plants and lower leaves to let air through. When the rains end and the heat arrives, plants dry out fast instead, so water thoroughly in the morning and shade them a little from fierce midday sun with shade cloth or a blind. Leaves that wilt at midday and recover by evening are reacting to heat; if they're still drooping in the morning, check the water and the roots.

• Rainy season: empty saucers, keep off rain, improve airflow
• Heat wave: water deeply in the morning, shade at midday
• Remove diseased leaves right away
• Plan for watering before going away

Autumn: the second growing season

Once the heat breaks, the garden gets busy again. Cool-loving crops like lettuce, spinach, scallions and radishes actually grow better in autumn, and there are fewer pests than in summer. Napa cabbage and radishes for winter kimchi are often started in late summer, and if you sow too late they won't grow enough before the cold arrives, so check local guidance ahead of time. Summer fruiting crops stop sizing up as temperatures fall, so pick what's left and clear the plants to make room for the next crop. This is also when to prepare crops like garlic and onions that are planted in autumn, overwinter, and are harvested in spring.

Winter prep, part one: clear up and store the soil

Before the first frost, wrap up the year. Harvest what's ready and pull spent plants out, roots and all. Throw diseased plants and leaves away separately rather than mixing them into soil or compost, so the disease doesn't carry over to next year. Pick large roots and stones out of the soil from emptied pots, cover it somewhere out of the rain, and reuse it in spring with compost mixed in. Knock the soil off stakes and netting, dry them and bundle them up, and wash and dry scissors and trowels so they don't rust. Label leftover seed with its name and date, seal it, and store it somewhere cool and dry.

Winter prep, part two: protecting pots that overwinter

If you have crops that overwinter, such as spinach, garlic or some herbs, or perennial plants, they need protection from the cold. A pot is exposed to cold air on every side, so its soil freezes far more easily than ground soil. Group pots against a wall out of the cold wind and raise them slightly off cold floors. Covering the soil with fallen leaves or straw also helps. Even an enclosed balcony gets colder than you'd expect on midwinter nights, so bring tender plants indoors. Soil dries slowly in winter, so water much less often, and do it during the warm part of the day.

• Group pots against a sheltered wall
• Raise them off cold floors
• Mulch the soil with leaves or straw
• Water rarely, in the warm part of the day

What to do in winter: review your notes and plan

Winter is the garden's rest season, but it's the best time to prepare for next year. Look back over the notes you kept and sort out what did well, what failed, and why. When you spot the spot that lacked sun, the pot where water kept pooling, or the weeks when pests were worst, you can rearrange things next year. Growing the same crop in the same place every year tends to build up disease, so plan to rotate pots and positions. Indoors, sprouts and herb pots let you keep a small harvest going even in winter.