Designing your own planting calendar

The purpose

• The purpose of having a planting calendar is to provide you with information which highlights what will grow in each month of the year in your locality.

• Using this guide you can plan when to sow your seed or plant transplants to achieve an effective companion planting regime and a successional harvest for the entire year.

Single purpose guides

You can restrict it to 1 type of information like seed sowing or transplanting times Celery

S = plant in seed traysT = plant as transplants

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

  S S T T

But most calendars are multipurpose

Plant name Beneficial companions

Seed sowing dates. Months of the year in which the plant can be grown(by initial)

Harvest date, time from planting till eating

Spacing ,based on size of plant at maturity

Plant observations, cultural hints or special points of interest

You must determine what information is important to you and the format that you would like to collect it in.

There are many resources on the web

• Information for developing your calendar can be gleaned from websites such as those listed here

• http://www.tuigarden.co.nz/sites/default/files/document/Tui_Planting_Calendar.pdf

• http://www.gardengrow.co.nz/

• http://www.palmers.co.nz/gardening_calendar/july.cfm

• The information provided is for broad areas not specific locations.

Critically evaluate all information

• Compare across websites to see if information matches

• Ask at your local garden centre

• Talk to local garden experts

• Try different things and record the results.

Another option is to keep a diary or plant information journal

• Plant name• Best month for planting• Harvest time after planting• Propagation notes• Companions • Culinary information• Other uses• Check out

http://www.gardenate.com/plant/Basil

• For a great example

Start small and add information as you gain experience.

• Learn to be an observer in all seasons. Every single day, your garden has something new and wonderful to show you. --author unknown

• Learn patience Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts. --Author Unknown

• Love what you do, remember your garden is an extension of you.

• All gardens are a form of autobiography. --Robert Dash

• Quotes from http://www.perennialresource.com/quotations/

May your planning result in a bounteous harvest.