Zone 8 - Monthly Garden Calendar: Chores and Planting Guide (2024)

Monthly Garden Schedule by Zone

• By Angie Lavezzo

Planting by USDA Zone is a good starting point to get a handle on what you should be thinking of planting and when. If you pair this overview of gardening tasks by zone with experience, local knowledge and good year on year note taking then you should have a pretty good annual gardening calendar!

ZONE 8

January

• Use this time to give your indoor houseplants a good cleaning. Dust settles on leaves and clogs "pores", hindering light penetration as well as gas and moisture exchange.
• Contact seed companies to receive the new years catalog.
• Make plans for the coming seasons garden. Decide where your crops will rotate from last year, and start carpentry projects like cold frames, trellises, and indoor lighting set-ups if possible. Sometimes smaller is better and you may in return get fewer weeds and insects with more produce.
• Collect all of your seed starting equipment together so you’ll be ready to go. You will need lights, heat mats, sterile medium, and your preferred pot type.
• Wash and sterilize seed-starting containers
• Start stratifying perennial seeds that need this treatment.
• Look over last year's planting, fertilizing and spraying records. Make notes to reorder successful varieties as well as those you wish to try again.
• Check all house plants closely for insect infestations. Quarantine holiday gift plants until you determine that they are not harboring any pests.
• Add garden record keeping to the list of New Year's resolutions. Make a note of which varieties of flowers and vegetables do best and which do poorly in your garden.
• Start your first seeds inside for broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, head lettuce, onions, and parsley. Many perennial flowers should be started inside by the end of the month as well. You can also start inside flowers and herbs that have a long germination period, like rosemary, snapdragons, and begonias.
• Clean out your coldframe. Build a new one if you would like to expand. If you aren’t a carpenter, now is a good time to try a straw bale cold frame.
• Late this month, mow winter cover crops.

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February

• Give your tools a good cleaning and sharpening.
• Get your seed final orders in if you haven’t already to ensure you get what you want.
• Direct sow carrots, Swiss chard, peas, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips, beets, leaf lettuce, radishes, salsify and spinach as soil and weather conditions permit.
• Direct sow outdoors seeds like Nigella, Poppy, and Larkspur so they get a few weeks of cold temps which will aid in their germination.
• Avoid the spring rush and take your lawn mower and any other mechanized tools you use in for service.
• If you haven’t already, now is a great time to prune your fruit trees, berry bushes, and other woody ornamentals on your property. You want to complete this while still dormant and before spring growth begins.
• Harden off ready brassica seedlings outdoors in a cold frame. Towards the end of the month plant them in the garden beneath cloches or a plastic low tunnel.
• On nice days, turn your compost pile. Or start one!
• .If you have the space, plan to grow an extra row of food to share with those less fortunate in your area.
• Give your Valentine a plant or a gift certificate for garden supplies.
• Mow winter cover crops and turn them under if the soil is dry enough to cultivate.
• Get a soil test if you haven’t already done so.
• Spread compost over beds that you will plant next month.

March

• The longer days and shorter nights will stimulate your houseplants to start growing again. Now is a good time to repot them if needed and give them a good feeding.
• Add organic matter to soil to improve soil tilth and drainage.
• Start transplants indoors of tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant- try to get this done by the 15^th.
• By the end of March you should be safe to start the process of hardening off for transplant outside of your onions, parsley, and any other cool season crops that are at least 5 weeks old. Select smaller rather than larger plants of the cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) since overly mature plants exposed to low temperatures early in the season tend to bolt into flower too early.
• Cover Brassica crops with floating row cover to protect from cabbage moth and flea beetle damage if these little critters have been a problem in the past.
• Continue to direct sow carrots, Swiss chard, peas, collards, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips, beets, leaf lettuce, radishes, salsify and spinach as soil and weather conditions permit.
• Plant seed potatoes with lots of organic matter.
• On nice days, turn your compost pile. Or start one!
• Be careful working your garden soil! Working soil when it is still too wet creates compacted clots. Wait for dry spells.
• Clean up any leftover dried debris from garden beds and toss in the compost pile.
• Buy a notebook and use it to keep all your gardening information. List what you plant in the garden. Include the name of seed companies, plant name, variety, planting date, and harvest date. During the growing season keep notes on how well the plant does. If the variety is susceptible to disease, record what was used to treat any problems. All this information will be helpful in planning future gardens.
• Place birdhouses built this winter outdoors this month. Birds will begin looking for nesting sites soon.
• Plan new landscaping projects on paper first. Do not over plant. Be sure you know the mature size of each plant and allow for growth.
• Plant new beds of bare-root asparagus and strawberries.
• Pull back mulch from strawberry and asparagus beds so they can push through easily.
• Side-dress your asparagus with a gentle, natural, nitrogen fertilizer.
• Fertilize grapes, raspberries, and blueberries before growth resumes.
• Raspberry canes that will produce this year's crop should be pruned back by 1/4 before growth resumes. Last year's fruiting canes should have been cut down to the ground after harvest last year but if not, do it now.

April

• Measure the rainfall with a rain gauge posted near the garden so you can tell when to water. The garden needs about one inch of rain per week from April to September.
• Sow seeds of hardy annual flowers (calendula, clarkia, larkspur, California poppy, and sweet pea).
• Plant new trees and shrubs by the end of the month.
• Resist planting out warm season summer veggies until your last frost free date has come! Warm days can be deceiving.
• If you haven't already done so, sow seeds indoors for eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.
• Continue to sow seeds outdoors for the following crops: beets, carrots, chard, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, mustard, onion sets, parsnips, peas, potatoes, radish, spinach, and turnip.
• Establish new plantings of fruit trees, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, asparagus, and rhubarb.
• Add organic matter to soil to improve soil tilth and drainage.
• Fertilize perennial flowers now as growth is beginning. Most will only need fertilizing every three years and only at this time of year.
• Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
• Sow more carrots and lettuce early this month, and mulch potatoes with 6 inches of straw.
• At midmonth, start sowing sweet corn, cucumbers, summer squash, and bush beans, as well as herbs.
• You can start seeds indoors of okra, pumpkin, cucumber, summer and winter squash, and melons. Sow vine crops in individual peat pots since these do not transplant well if roots are disturbed.
• Set out annual flowers, and plant dahlias.
• Fill the backs of sunny flowerbeds with tall sunflowers or tithonia.

May

• Begin hardening-off frost tender plants now including vegetables, herbs, perennial and annual flowers that have been started indoors.
• Sow seeds outdoors of beans, okra, pumpkin, sweet corn, and watermelon. Plant only partial rows of beans and sweet corn so that successive plantings can be done every week or two. Sweet corn should be planted in paired rows or blocks for good pollination.
• By the beginning of this month, it should be safe to plant almost everything outdoors -tender annual flowers like impatiens as well as tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. Houseplants, too, can be moved to a shady spot in the yard for their summer vacations.
• Plant sweet potato slips after the soil has warmed.
• Colorado potato beetle adults, eggs and larvae can be hand-picked to remove or sprayed with an organic insecticide, spinosid if infestation is bad. Adults are yellow and black striped beetles. The eggs are yellow and laid in groups on the undersides of leaves. The larvae are humpbacked and red. Look for them on the stem tips. They are present almost all season.
• Also keep an eye out for Striped and spotted cucumber beetles transmit a bacterial wilt to squashes and melons. Adults and eggs can be hand-picked throughout the season.
• Watch for Mexican bean beetle. To be on the safe side you can cover the entire crop with floating row cover as soon as seedlings emerge.
• Aphids of all types show up on a range of host plants as soon as the warm weather arrives. Look for them in newly unfurling foliage and sticky leaves are also a sign of their presence since they secrete a ‘honeydew’. Black sooty bold may also in this sticky substance and while alarming looking does little to no damage since it does not penetrate the leaves. Aphids, however, do damage the plant. Spray leaves with a strong jet of water to dislodge most of them. Insecticidal soap is an organic approved product that provides pretty good control as long as the insects are wetted well. A second and third treatment to kill newly hatched eggs may be needed in 5-7 days.
• Squash vine borer adults are 1 inch long, orange and green day-flying moths that are emerging from the soil now. They lay brown, button-shaped, 1/16 inch eggs at the base of the vines of summer and winter squashes. Examine stems daily and remove eggs by hand to prevent burrowing of larvae as they hatch. Wrap lower 6 –12 inches of stem with aluminum foil or floating row cover to prevent egg laying.
• Newly transplanted vegetable plants should be protected from cutworms with collars. Cut strips of cardboard two inches wide by eight inches long, staple them into circles and place them around the plants. Press the collar about one inch into the soil. These collars will fence out the cutworms and protect the stems of the vegetable plants.
• Keep “hilling up” potatoes.
• Pinch herbs like basil, mint, oregano, and savory to promote bushy growth.
• Be sure to harvest leafy greens often because they will soon bolt.
• Have a trellis system in place for your tomato patch before the plants begin to sprawl.
• The middle to end of May is an excellent time to take softwood cuttings of shrubs to start new plants. Some shrubs which can be propagated in this way are spirea, lilac and viburnum.

June

• Direct sow sunflowers, nasturtiums, marigolds, borage, basil, and other warm season flowers and herbs.
• Plant heat loving field peas, lima beans, and asparagus beans
• Continue monitoring for pest insects talked about in the May task list.
• Stay out of the garden when the vegetable plant leaves are wet. Walking through a wet garden spreads disease from one plant to another.
• After your vegetable garden is well established, it is best to water it thoroughly once a week rather than giving it a light watering every day. That way, a deeper root system is encouraged to develop, which will later help the plants tolerate dry weather.
• Keep a close eye on the quality of your spring crops. Hot weather causes lettuce to bolt and become bitter. Plant a warm season crop as soon as the spring vegetables are harvested.
• In most cases, blossom-end rot on tomatoes, peppers, squash, and watermelons can be prevented. Do this by maintaining uniform soil moisture by mulching and watering correctly, planting in well-drained soil and not cultivating deeper than one inch within one foot of the plant. Also avoid the use of high nitrogen fertilizers.
• Continue planting direct-seeded, warm season vegetable crops such as beans, summer squash and cucumbers.
• Harvest vegetables such as beans, peas, squash, cucumbers and okra regularly to prolong production and enjoy peak freshness.
• Control mosquitoes by eliminating all sources of stagnant water. Consider installing a bat house to encourage bat habitat, they eat mosquitoes!
• Divide and transplant bearded iris using the vigorous ends of the rhizomes. Discard the old center portion. Cut the leaves back to about six inches.
• Freshen up mulch around woody plants, perennials, and veggies if needed.
• Garden flowers, whether annuals or perennials, benefit from "deadheading" after flowering. By removing the spent flower heads, energy is used to produce more flowers or foliage and roots. Many will produce another flush of blooms.
• Weed the garden regularly to keep the task easy and manageable.
• When asparagus and rhubarb reach the end of the harvest window, prepare to side-dress with a balanced fertilizer.
• Plant buckwheat in vacant areas of the garden to prevent weeds.
• Fertilize roses after their initial flush of flowers fade.
• There is still time to plant heat loving field peas, lima beans, and asparagus beans.
• Pinch herbs like basil, mint, oregano, and savory to promote bushy growth.

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July

• Start seeds indoors for heading cole crops for your fall garden now. Direct sow, radish, carrots, beets, turnips, and kale, in mid-July through August.
• Dig potatoes after vines have died.
• Harvest vegetables such as beans, peas, squash, cucumbers and okra regularly to prolong production and enjoy peak freshness.
• There is still time to plant heat loving field peas, lima beans, and asparagus beans
• Watch the leaves of your tomato plants for signs of leaf spot diseases.
• Continue monitoring for pest insects talked about in the May task list.
• Keep deadheading flowers as needed to prolong the bloom season.
• Flowering requires lots of energy so it can be quite helpful to fertilize flowering annual plants once flowering begins. Fertilize one more time before the end of the season.
• Seeds can continue to be sown throughout July for late crops of beets, bush beans, carrots, chard, summer spinach, cucumbers, and summer squash. Cover with pre-moistened potting soil mix which will not be so likely to crust and crack. To hold in the moisture, cover the rows with a very thin layer of mulch or floating row cover fabric.
• A garden needs one inch of rain or water each week. Early morning is the best time to water. Evening watering is less desirable because plant leaves that remain wet through the night are more susceptible to fungus diseases. Mulch plants to reduce water losses and improve yields.
• Harvest onions and garlic as the tops dry and fall over. Braid garlic tops and hang in a cool, dry place. Cut onion tops back to 1" and dry thoroughly before storing. Use any damaged produce immediately.
• Check the soil moisture of container grown vegetables and flowers daily. As the temperature rises, some plants may need water twice a day.
• Water vegetable gardens deeply as needed.
• Pinch herbs like basil, mint, oregano, and savory to promote bushy growth.
• Prepare beds for fall crops by sowing them now with a cover crop of fast-growing field peas or other legumes

August

• Sow peas in mid to late August for a fall crop.
• Finish starting seeds inside for fall crops like Brussels sprouts, and other heading brassicas.
• Warmer parts of this zone can plant a fall crop of potatoes, try to get them in by the second week of September.
• Continue your bug removal pest damage inspections! Remove and treat as needed.
• After the last raspberry harvest for the year, prepare for next year while also avoiding diseases by pruning out old flowering canes leaving only 3-4 young canes per foot of row. Wait until spring to prune back shoot tips.
• Avoid pruning trees and shrubs since doing so this late in the season can stimulate new growth that will not harden off in time for the cold winter weather ahead. Delay pruning until the end of the dormant season early next spring.
• This is a good time to order spring flowering bulbs for next year's early flower display. Plan for different flowering times to extend the season.
• Seeds can again be sown for a late crop of leaf lettuce, mustard greens, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, kale, collardsand spinach in the partial shade of taller plants.
• Continue deadheading flowers which will allow plants to use energy reserves for a final flower display.
• Check moisture of hanging baskets and container plantings daily.
• Harvest vegetables such as beans, peas, squash, cucumbers and okra regularly to prolong production and enjoy peak freshness.
• Remove old plants which have stopped producing to eliminate a shelter for insects and disease organisms.
• Every weed that produces seed means more trouble next year. Control weeds before they go to seed.
• Sow seeds of biennials, such as hollyhock, Canterbury bells and foxglove.
• Harvest cantaloupe when the stem separates from the fruit with gentle prodding.
• Sow fall cover crop if using.

September

• Continue planting spinach, lettuce, radishes, arugula, Asian greens, kale, and collards.
• Keep up your inspecting for pests, particularly bean beetles can make a second strong showing this time of year.
• Houseplants that have been "vacationing" in the backyard this summer should be brought in by mid-month. Give them a good blast of water all over before bringing them in to help remove freeloading insects. Insects in the soil are probably not damaging but more of a nuisance when brought indoors. For the first few of weeks after the move inspect your plants daily for any emergent insects and treat as needed.
• Make preparations for mulching your beds for the winter. Bagged mulch is always available, but getting a truckload delivered is very economical. If you don’t think you can use a whole truckload, ask your neighbors if you can split a load.
• Many fibrous rooted perennials should be transplanted every 3 -5 years as a general rule. Fall is the time to divide and transplant plants that flower in the spring while fall flowering ones like chrysanthemums should be done in the spring. Cut back tops to 4 -6" to reduce transplant stress. Thoroughly prepare the new planting site.
• Pumpkins, summer squashes, and gourds to be stored should be harvested before the first frost. Pumpkins that have begun showing color will continue to ripen after harvest. Use great care not to nick the rind during harvest since this will lead to more rapid deterioration.
• Keep harvesting second plantings of the cool season vegetables including radishes, lettuce, Chinese cabbage, chard, spinach, broccoli, and the other cole crops. Some such as parsnips, peas, Brussels sprouts, and kale actually have enhanced flavor after a frost.
• Allow plants to finish the summer growth cycle in a normal manner. Never encourage growth with heavy applications of fertilizer or excessive pruning. Plants will delay their dormancy process that has already begun in anticipation of winter in the months ahead. New growth can be injured by an early freeze.
• Fall is a good time for improving your garden soil. Add manure, compost and leaves to increase the organic matter content. Wood ashes contain phosphorous, potassium and calcium. They can be placed on vegetable gardens and flower beds as a top dressing that will feed into the soil all winter.
• Be sure to keep strawberry beds weed free. Every weed you pull now will help make weeding much easier next spring.
• Get any cover crops you want to use in by mid-month.
• Some perennial flowers and bulbs will start to go dormant this month. Marking their location with a painted popsicle stick or drawing out a map of your bed is helpful come spring so you don’t forget where things are.
• Fertilize roses for the last time this year.
• Dig, divide, and move daylilies after they have completed their bloom.
• Dig up sweet potatoes and peanuts while the weather is still warm; cure them before storing.
• Late this month, start to plant next year’s garlic, shallot, and perennial onion crop.

October

• Plant garlic, shallots, and perennial onions.
• Plant spring flowering bulbs like tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, and crocus. Place chicken wire on the ground over newly planted bulbs to deter animals from digging.
• Drain the hoses and empty the bird baths before a hard frost.
• Potted perennials can be buried in an empty part of the vegetable garden or surrounded with a thick layer of straw to get them through the winter.
• Collect soil samples now for testing to prepare for next year’s fertilization of the lawn, the vegetable garden, the shrub border and flower beds. Submit separate samples for distinct areas used to grow different types of plants and where growing conditions are different for the same plants. A shady lawn area on a slope should be a different sample than a sunny lawn area.
• Dig and divide spring and summer flowering perennials now. Late summer and fall flowering ones can be done in the spring. Cut foliage back, replant and water well. Wait until winter is in full-swing to add new mulch for winter protection during their first winter.
• Keep an eye on the weather and harvest any remaining summer produce like beans, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes before a hard frost rolls in.
• Cut and dry or freeze remaining herbs.
• Remove, chop, and compost asparagus tops after they have yellowed and died for the season. Wait until later in winter to mulch.
• Save seeds from favorite self-pollinating, non-hybrid flowers such as marigolds by allowing the flower heads to mature. Lay seeds on newspaper and turn them often to dry. Store the dry seeds in glass jars or envelopes in a cool, dry, dark place.
• Make a note of any particular productive or unsatisfactory varieties of vegetables that you planted this year. Such information can be very useful when planning next years' garden.
• Leave seed heads on asters, sunflowers, and cosmos for birds to eat.
• Thin any greens like kale, chard, and spinach that you won’t overwinter, and eat the thinnings.
• Cover broccoli and cauliflower on frosty nights.

November

• If you haven’t already, get your new spring flowering bulbs planted now.
• Empty, clean and store planters where they will be dry for the winter.
• If you are using a rain barrel or two to conserve water and reduce storm water runoff, they should be emptied and turned over to keep them dry during the winter months. Reconnect your downspout to direct the snow melt and winter rain away from your foundation.
• Cole crops like Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, collards and kale are made sweeter by frost so harvest them as long as possible. You can also use a cold frame or put up a low-tunnel to extend the season.
• Instead of harvesting less hardy late season crops, leave them in the garden and tuck them in with a thick layer of straw so they don’t freeze as early. This includes carrots, beets, leeks, rutabagas, turnips, winter radishes, chard, Chinese cabbage and leaf lettuce. Cover the leaf lettuce first with floating row cover fabric which breathes but will keep the straw out of your salad.
• Continue to check houseplants for insects that may have come indoors as you brought the plants inside.
• The end of the month should be consistently cold enough to start applying a 2-4” layer of protective mulch.
• Spread manure, rotted sawdust, rotted straw, and shredded leaves over the garden and plow them under; you'll be surprised at the difference this organic matter will make in the fertility, physical structure and water-holding capacity of the soil.
• Oil and store gas powered equipment like lawn mowers and leaf blowers. Repair shops are in a slow period so arrange for a tune-up and blade sharpening now.
• Order seed catalogs now for garden planning in January. For variety, consider companies that specialize in old and rare varieties or wild flowers.
• Sow seeds of poppies, hollyhock and bachelor’s buttons.
• Start digging up winter carrots as soon as they are big enough.
• Harvest bunching onions, then plant more in a new site.
• Last chance to plant garlic!
• Be ready with blankets for covering lettuce and other half-hardy crops during the first hard freeze.

December

• Consider gift memberships to local botanical gardens, arboretums or nature centers for the holidays. They are dual purpose gifts, supporting the organization while providing a thoughtful, lasting presents to your family and friends.
• Protect trunks of young trees by wrapping. Surround multi-stemmed and low branching trees and shrubs with chicken wire or hardware cloth held securely against the ground. It should be tall enough to protect branches and high enough that a rabbit can’t hop over it.
• Clean garden tools with a wire brush and apply a light coat of oil to protect them from rusting. Sharpen edges of hoes and spades. Clean, readjust and sharpen the blades of pruning tools. Lightly sand handles and then apply a coat of linseed oil, or paint your handles a bright color like red or orange which will make them easier to spot should you lay them in the grass.
• Drain the fuel tank of the lawn mower or tiller before putting the machine away for the winter.
• If you haven’t already, apply a layer of mulch on all of your planting beds, especially around your perennials.
• Avoid rock salt, which is sodium chloride, to melt sidewalk and driveway ice. Products made of calcium chloride or potassium chloride cause less damage to plants. For traction, sprinkle sand, kitty litter, or wood ashes sparingly. Mix with a little melting compound if more than just traction is needed. Minimize de-icing and traction products to reduce pollution in storm sewers and streams.
• Start reviewing and expanding your garden notes to help with next year's plans.
• Harvest Brussel sprouts, kale, cabbage, and collards.
• Mulch carrots, parsnips, and other crops that will spend winter underground.
• Spread mulch over beds where early spring crops will grow.
• Turn compost one last time, then cover it with a tarp to prevent nutrients from leaching away during winter rains.
• Dig, divide and replant crowded bulbs.
• Continue setting out hardy annual and perennial seedlings, then cover them with cloches or put in cold frames.