The aim of this website section a guide on what to do in the vegetable patch on a monthly basis, The heart of a gardening year is a work plan, twelve months of gardening which begins in March when the ground becomes workable after frosts, the climate varies considerably depending on where you are so there is no hard and fast rule when you begin to sow vegetable seeds or transplant seedlings outside, it all comes down to common sense.

January February March April May June July August September October November December

Some books of interest are outlined below

   Dobies are a long established company who only sell direct to home gardeners through our catalogues and website, offering real value for gardening enthusiasts. Choose from a full range of flower and vegetable seeds, bulbs, fruit, plus annual and perennial plug plants for pots, patios and all around the garden. There's free delivery on seeds and most plants.

  Suttons have been inspiring gardens since 1806. They offer top quality flower seeds, vegetable seeds, plug plants, bulbs, fruit and gardening equipment, all with the Suttons guarantee of quality. Their name has instant recognition and reassurance to gardeners. for seeds of quality

 where you’ll find the biggest and best range of greenhouse and gardening equipment available. Established by gardeners for gardeners we know how important it is to have the right tools for the job, so you can be sure that all our products have been handpicked and thoroughly tested for quality and usefulness. In business since 1975, over the years we’ve developed our own range of top quality products. Some have been specially designed and are not available anywhere else. All are made by hand to the highest standards, and because there’s no middleman, they’re competitively priced too.

Gone Gardening is the best one-stop garden shop. If you need a particular tool for your garden then we have it, whether that's the latest robotic mower for your lawn or the best garden fork to dig your beds with. Our range is more comprehensive than ever, stocking thousands of products suitable for the novice as well as the expert gardener. It's not just garden tools either, we have also have patio heaters, garden furniture, barbecues and even swimming pools. We think we have everything covered for the successful gardener!

  offers practical, innovative and decorative products for the serious gardener.

We feature over 500 products that are carefully selected, tried and tested by our enthusiastic and knowledgeable team. From secateurs through to greenhouses, our range of quality products is fully guaranteed.

Crop rotation

The principle of crop rotation is to grow specific groups of vegetables on a different piece of land each year. Groups are moved around in sequence so they don’t return to the same spot for at least three years.

Benefits

Pest and disease control: Soil pests and diseases tend to attack specific plant families, so by rotating crops life-cycles are broken and build-up is reduced.

Weed control: Some crops (e.g. potatoes and squashes) can suppress weeds, minimising problems for following crops.

Soil fertility: Different crops have different soil requirements and benefits. Changing crops from year to year minimises deficiencies and allows the soil to replenish.

Soil structure: Alternating between deep-rooted and fibrous-rooted crops improves soil structure.

Planning

Divide the vegetable plot into equal sections of four or more. Decide which crops to grow. Then group them, firstly following plant family (linked to pests and diseases), then soil requirements and soil benefits. To rotate the beds as described below move each bed back one space so that legumes moves into the brassica bay and brassica moves to umbellifers for example:

Year one: as below
Year two: legumes, onions, potato family, umbellifers, brassicas
Year three: onions, potato family, umbellifers, brassicas, legumes
Year four: potato family, umbellifers, brassicas, legumes, onions
Year five: umbellifers, brassicas, legumes, onions, potato family

Some plants have so few soil-dwelling pests or disease that they can be fitted in anywhere in the rotation: