Gardening Calendar

Growing a garden is a great experiment: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. The fun is in the trying! Use this calendar to keep up to date on tasks to do in the garden month by month, get ideas for kids projects in the garden, and to track when to start seeds specific to your region.

Find your planting region

Interactive Oregon Garden Planner

JANUARY

Take a look at your seeds. Sort them by the month they need to be started or planted.
Thrift stores and online communities are great places to look for free or inexpensive gardening tools and containers to grow plants in. Supports for climbing plants can be made from many recycled items, like clothes-drying racks and even small ladders!
Plan a garden with neighbors and friends: share the work, seeds and tools, then share the bounty.

Learn more about the garden in January

FEBRUARY

Start seeds indoors if you live on the coast or in the Willamette Valley. Late February is a great time to start tomatoes for summer!
Take this quiet time to do more planning and research.
These cold months are great for projects for the garden. Build trellises for your tomatoes out of sticks or re-purposed materials.
Explore your sleeping garden. What has changed over the winter?

Learn more about the garden in February

MARCH

Clean tools and containers with warm soapy water.
Prepare planting areas: remove weeds and add compost.
Start planting flowers for pollinators. Alyssum and Nemophila are great for early spring pollinators.
Plant perennial herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano.

Learn more about the garden in March

APRIL

Succession planting is the technique of planting seeds every few weeks. If you live on the coast or in the Willamette Valley, you can plant carrots and radishes year-round for continuous harvests.
April is the best month for planting spring crops such as peas and leafy greens.
Prepare planting areas by adding compost and covering with mulch.

Learn more about the garden in April

MAY

MAY

Put your garden plan into action!
Check the weather. If the forecast calls for rain, you don't need to water.
Read the back of seed packets to see how to space plants: spacing them properly will help prevent diseases and pests.
Spring is slug season! Time to put out traps and watch for damage to young plants.
Two weeks after planting, add an all-purpose garden fertilizer with a ratio such as 4-4-4.

Learn more about the garden in May

JUNE

Plants can grow quickly this time of year. Train growing tomatoes on a trellis or support.
Monitor plants for diseases and pests. Spray aphids and spittlebugs with a hose to remove them.
Harvesting veggies as soon as they are ready helps stimulate the plant to produce more.
Continue to plant flowers and herbs. June is a great time to start basil!
If you live in central or high-elevation Oregon, you should protect young plants at night.

Learn more about the garden in June

JULY

Summer can heat up the garden. When it's hot out, water in the early morning. You'll use less water and your plants will be able to drink throughout the day.
Add mulch to help conserve water in the soil. Mulch can be wood chips, leaves, plastic or any material that covers the soil.
Monitor tomatoes and squash for leaf diseases like powdery mildew. Plants need air flow between them to help prevent mildew.

Learn more about the garden in July

AUGUST

Continue to monitor your plants. Add compost or fertilizer if they show signs of yellowing or wilting.
After you harvest, begin seeding cover crops like vetch, rye, and clover. Cover crops strengthen your soil.
Plant cool-season veggies, like kale and beets, for a fall harvest.
Monitor tomatoes for blossom-end rot. Consistent watering is key!
When harvesting veggies, wash and dry them before storing.

Learn more about the garden in August

SEPTEMBER

Late summer and early fall is a great time to plant cool-weather crops like lettuce, radishes, and spinach.
September is the best month to plant garlic and onions.
Continue to harvest veggies in the garden. Rain or cold may cause them to become moldy.
Plant flower bulbs like crocuses and daffodils in containers to grow inside over the winter.

Learn more about the garden in September

OCTOBER

Before the rains begin, save seeds from the plants in the garden. That way, you won't have to buy more seeds next spring.
Still have green tomatoes on the vine? Cut plants down and hang them upside-down indoors. The fruit will ripen, and you can continue to have fresh tomatoes!
Leave the garden clean-up for later: dead plants can provide homes and food for pollinators.

Learn more about the garden in October

NOVEMBER

Cover your garden soil with leaves to build it up over the winter.
No need to chop the leaves: there may be butterfly cocoons on them!
Clean your tools and put them away for the winter.
Bring container plants inside so that they can continue growing. But first, spray them down with a strong spray of water to avoid bringing pests inside.
Storing vegetables over the winter? Check them to make sure they are free of bugs and mold.

Learn more about the garden in November

DECEMBER

Try growing herbs indoors. Cilantro and oregano do not need a lot of sunlight.
It's not too late to plant garlic and onions, but this is the last chance this season!
Kale and chard may still be growing. Harvest them before a hard frost.

Learn more about the garden in December

Where is your garden?

Oregon has four growing regions. Choose vegetable varieties and planting dates suitable to the growing conditions in your area:

oregon regional map

Oregon coast: cool, long season of 190 to 250 days.
Western valleys: 150 to 250-day season; warm days, cool nights; length of season varies year to year.
High elevations: short growing season of 90 to 120 days; frost can occur during any month.
Columbia and Snake River valleys: 120 to 200-day season; hot days, warm nights; length of season fairly well defined.

Oregon Garden Planner

Measure the days from seed to sprout to harvest.