Our Gardening Calendar

References

Mississippi State Extension Service Garden Calendar
North Florida Gardening Calendar
Framers Almanac        

January

  • Vegetable Garden
    • Till in cover crops 6-8 weeks before spring sowing.
  • Yard
    • Prune Crape Myrtles
    • Feed Citrus per IFASBalanced fertilizer formulations such as 6-6-6 or 8-8-8 are suggested, but other complete fertilizers can also be used. Fertilizer applications should be split between three to five applications a year; i.e. Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept.
    • Daylilies – Cut out rust, spray with contact and systemic fungicide and feed drench.
    • Control persistent scale insects on citrus, shrubs, camellias, and deciduous fruit trees; apply horticultural oil while plants are dormant.  http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep451
    • Add nitrogen to the compost pile
    • Peach trees – pruning methods used in the third and fourth dormant seasons as peaches are pruned to an upright but lateral canopy with an open center having three to four primary scaffold limbs branching out to five or six secondary branches and smaller twigs four to five feet above ground. From IFAS
    • Prune Pear Trees from Starke Bros.
      • For your branches: choose wide 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock angles.
      • Pruning to a bud. Make sharp, clean cuts close enough (about 1/4 inch) so you won’t leave a clumsy stub that’s hard to heal over. Stay far enough above the bud so it won’t die back. Slant the cuts and the new growth will develop beautifully.
      • Every branch has buds pointed in various directions. Since you want vigorous new growth to spread away from the center of the tree, make your cut above a bud that’s aimed outward. This helps your tree grow into a spreading shape.

February

  • Greenhouse – Inside seedlings start first week; i.e. 4-6 weeks before last frost; i.e. March 15.
    • Cabbage inside
    • Tomatoes inside
    • Peppers inside
    • Snapdragons per here.
  • Vegetable Garden
    • Week 1 – Plow under Elbon Rye
    • Sow directly in the garden two to three weeks before the last spring frost date; i.e. March 15.
      • broccoli 
      • Carrots
      • Mustard
      • Beets
      • onions
  • Yard
    • Spread Pendulum 2G Granular Herbicide pre-emergent herbicide before germination of Crab Grass, Goose Grass and others. [The new sack is in a black plastic bag below the table in the Grain Bin]Spray Weed-Free-Zone before the grass begins greening.Prune roses then fertilize and apply a fresh layer of mulch per IFAS. Also, fertilize when there is “a string of good warmer days and steady night temps in the upper 40’s” from here. Give them Epsom Salts a week later. Look for Tea Scale Crawlers on Camellias. See here.
    • Azaleas
      • Prune Azaleas in late winter before growth begins for the season, improve the form of the bush by shortening stems that jut out of place.
      • Treat Azaleas with a soil drench of Imidacloprid For Lacebugs Hydrangeas pruning
      • Reblooming azaleas such as the ‘Encore’ series benefit most from feeding after the first bloom.
    • For bigleaf or oakleaf hydrangea, cut stems with old flowers still attached back to fat flower buds. Panicle (H. paniculata) Late winter, before spring growth. Framers Almanac
    • Trim oak and pecan trees
    • Fertilize mature citrus trees 3 times this year with 8-8-8 each time. See IFAS Table 2 for specific instructions.
      • a good rule of thumb is to spread the fertilizer as many feet beyond the dripline of the canopy as the age of the tree in years (up to ten). Fertilizer near or in contact with the truck should be avoided. For the home landscape, it is convenient to remember that one pint of mixed fertilizer weighs about one pound.
      • Fertilization should start when swelling buds indicate that growth is beginning
      • Chk pH – The optimum pH range would be 5.5-6.5. 
    • Blueberries –
      • In the third year and beyond, use 3 ounces of Azalea fertilizer per plant per application spread evenly over a 4-foot diameter circle, or broadcast in a continuous band 3–4 feet wide, centered on the plant row, after bud-break. Repeat this procedure in April, June, August, and October. See IFAS.
      • Prune — Annual thinning should be done in winter when plants are dormant and consist of removing about 25% of the older canes down to the ground. From IFAS. See here for a good article about pruning.
  • Pastures
    • Watch for thistle to sprout and spray. In 2022 it was blooming in April.

March

  • Greenhouse
    • Sow Periwinkle seed for planting in the yard in May
  • Vegetable Garden
    • 2nd week
      • transplant all peppers and tomatoes to garden. Soil temperature should be at least 65°F, as peppers will not survive transplanting at temps any colder. 
      • Sow dill seeds in tub
      • Sow G90 Corn. The minimum soil temp is 50 F. Opt 85
      • Sow Kentucky Bush Beans. Min 60, Opt 80F
    • 3rd week
      • Okra when soil temp is Min 40 F; Opt 75 F.
      • Plant squash. Min 65F Opt 95
      • Plant Cantaloupe. Min 65F Opt 95
      • Plant cucumbers. Min 60F Opt 95
  • Yard
    • 1st week
      • Hang Mosquito Eradicators
      • Retake pH readings in the beds. See Sept. 28, 2020 post
      • St. Augustine Grass
        • Spray Weed-Free-Zone before the grass begins greening
        • Spread 15-0-15 at 1 lb per 1000 SF with Extinguish.
        • Per IFAS here – For a low maintenance lawn, 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per each of two applications per season.
    • For roses’ black spot control, an initial application of a protectant fungicide should be made at bud break. See here for more info.
    • Prune azaleas when they have finished blooming.
    • Prune shrubs and trees when the dormant season ends and new growth begins. 
    • Feed Daylilies
    • Look for Tea Scale Crawlers on Camellias. See here.
    • Begin feeding crape myrtles when they bud.
    • Hydrangeas should be lightly dressed with fast-release fertilizer (e.g. 8-8-8) in March, May, and July. Be sure to spread it around the drip line of the branches and not the base. Water well. From here and Framers Almanac.
    • Citrus Trees
      • Annual light pruning after freezing temperatures have passed and just before the spring growth flush will aid trees in staying vigorous, healthy, and productive. Per IFAS
    • Gardenias – Fertilize in March, mid-summer and September with a granular fertilizer formulated for landscape plants or an “acid-forming” product is suitable. Ideally, 30%–50% of the nitrogen should be slow-release. From IFAS here.
  • Pastures
    • Watch for thistle to sprout and spray. In 2022 it was blooming in April.
  • Pond
    • Magnolias
      • By the third year (2023), increase the rate to 4 cups and spread it in a donut-shaped area from the tips of the canopy to 6 feet beyond the canopy in March, May, and July.

April

  • Vegetable garden
    • 1st week
      • sow Silver Queen corn min soil temp is 50 F. Opt 85.
      • sow PEPH peas – Soil min 40 F; Opt 75 F
      • sow Snow Peas – Soil min 40 F; Opt 75 F
  • Yard
    • Fruit Trees – Apply zinc sulfate as a foliar spray and nitrogen. See the 2018 soil test report.
    • Blueberries – 3 ounces of balanced fertilizer per plant spread evenly over a 4-foot diameter circle or broadcast in a continuous band 3–4 feet wide, centered on the plant row. Repeat this procedure in April, June, August, and October. From IFAS here.
    • Look for Tea Scale Crawlers on Camellias. See here.
    • Feed Crape Myrtles every two weeks.
    • Fertilize citrus trees 4 times this year (year 3, 2021) with 1.4 – 2.8 lbs of 8-8-8 each time. See IFAS Table 2 here for later years. This is the 2nd feeding for 2021.
    • Fertilize Camellias, when the blooms are done, with Azalea food. From here
    • Spray all small blossom roses for Botrytis with Mancozeb
    • Feed Rain Lilies at Grain Bin with slow-release bulb food.
    • Oakleaf and panicle hydrangeas do best with two applications in April and June. Framers Almanac
  • Pastures
    • Spray Cogongrass in the Springs and Creek areas with Glyphosate
    • Spray Cogongrass in the Springs and Creek fields wth Arsenal+Glyphosate

May

  • Vegetable garden
    • Chk Sidedressing Guidelines here.
    • From TomatoDirt.com
      • Spray tomatoes and peppers with Epson Salts 1 tablespoon per gallon of water when the plants start to flower and again when the young fruits start to form. Or, 2 tablespoons salts per gallon when applying once a month to tomatoes;
      • Apply tomato fertilizer once fruit has formed. Some gardeners look for their first tomatoes to be golf ball size as a signal to begin the season’s systematic feeding program. Continue fertilizing tomatoes about every 3-4 weeks. Tomatoes grown in sandy soil should be fertilized more often because nutrients leach quickly from soil.
  • Yard
    • Feed Citrus per IFAS – Balanced fertilizer formulations such as 6-6-6 or 8-8-8 are suggested, but other complete fertilizers can also be used. Fertilizer applications should be split between three to five applications a year; i.e. Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept.
    • Peaches (Year 2+): Fertilize this month using 1 to 1.5 pounds (2-3 cups) per tree of 12-4-8 fertilizer with micronutrients, esp. zinc. Per IFAS
    • Feed Daylilies
    • Feed Crape Myrtles every two weeks with fast-release granules. In May 2023 began feeding Crapes with 13-6-6 Time Release and plan to do so once a month.
    • Roses
      • Spray all small blossom roses for Botrytis with Mancozeb
      • Feed every two weeks – In 2022 began feeding with 13-6-6 Time Release and less often
      • For ongoing rose care, mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water and apply as a foliar spray. TheSpruce.com.
    • Hydrangeas should be lightly dressed with fast-release fertilizer (e.g. 8-8-8) in March, May, and July. Be sure to spread it around the drip line of the branches and not the base. Water well. From here and Framers Almanac.
  • Pond
    • Magnolias
      • By the third year (2023), increase the rate to 4 cups of 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 and spread it in a donut-shaped area from the tips of the canopy to 6 feet beyond the canopy in March, May and July.

June

  • Vegetable garden
    • Chk Sidedressing Guidelines here.
    • From TomatoDirt.com
      • Spray tomatoes and peppers with Epson Salts 1 tablespoon per gallon of water when the plants start to flower and again when the young fruits start to form. Or, 2 tablespoons salts per gallon when applying once a month to tomatoes;
      • Apply tomato fertilizer once the fruit has formed. Some gardeners look for their first tomatoes to be golf ball size as a signal to begin the season’s systematic feeding program. Continue fertilizing tomatoes about every 3-4 weeks. Tomatoes grown in sandy soil should be fertilized more often because nutrients leach quickly from the soil.
    • Late June start tomato seedlings from cuttings for the fall garden
  • Yard
    • Feed Daylilies
    • Plant zinnias and marigolds now for a second crop of flowers per MS Extension.
    • Feed Crape Myrtles every two weeks with fast-release granules. In May 2023 began feeding Crapes with 13-6-6 Time Release and plan to do so once a month.
    • Fertilize citrus trees 4 times this year (year 3, 2021) with 1.4 – 2.8 lbs of 8-8-8 each time. See IFAS Table 2 here for later years. This is the 3rd feeding for 2021.
    • Blueberries – In the third year and beyond, use 3 ounces of fertilizer per plant per application spread evenly over a 4-foot diameter circle, or broadcast in a continuous band 3–4 feet wide, centered on the plant row. Repeat this procedure in April, June, August, and October. See IFAS.
    • Spray all small blossom roses for Botrytis with Mancozeb
    • Roses
      • Spray all small blossom roses for Botrytis with Mancozeb
      • Feed every two weeks
      • For ongoing rose care, mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water and apply monthly as a foliar spray. TheSpruce.com
    • Camellias –  Pruning should be done before late summer when the flower buds form per IFAS.
    • Gardenias – Fertilize in March, mid-summer, and September with a granular fertilizer formulated for landscape plants or an “acid-forming” product is suitable. Ideally, 30%–50% of the nitrogen should be slow-release. From IFAS here.
    • Oakleaf and panicle hydrangeas do best with two applications in April and June. Framers Almanac
  • Pastures – 2021 – Spray Cogongrass in the Springs and Creek edges with Glyphosate.

July

  • Vegetable garden
    • Begin tomato rootings/seedlings from suckers for the fall garden.
  • Yard
    • Fertilize citrus trees 4 times this year (year 3, 2021) with 1.4 – 2.8 lbs of 8-8-8 each time. See IFAS Table 2 here for later years.
    • Feed Crape Myrtles every two weeks with fast-release granules. In May 2023 began feeding Crapes with 13-6-6 Time Release and plan to do so once a month.
    • Roses
      • Spray all small blossom roses for Botrytis with Mancozeb.
      • Feed every two weeks
      • For ongoing rose care, mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water and apply as a foliar spray. TheSpruce.com
    • Camellias –  Pruning should be done before late summer when the flower buds form per IFAS.
    • Hydrangeas should be lightly dressed with fast-release fertilizer (e.g. 8-8-8) in March, May, and July. Be sure to spread it around the drip line of the branches and not the base. Water well. From here and Framers Almanac.
    • Blueberries – From IFAS immediately after fruit harvest:
      • Once the plant is four to five years old or older, a general rule is to remove about 1/4–1/5 of the oldest canes each year (usually 1–3 of the oldest canes). This will result in continuous cane renewal so that no cane is more than three or four years old.
      • Mature plants are usually topped by removing several inches to a foot or more from the top of the canopy immediately after fruit harvest. This stimulates new growth that will produce next year’s crop and prevents plants from becoming too tall.
  • Pond
    • Magnolias
      • By the third year (2023), increase the rate to 4 cups of 8-8-8 or 13-13-13 and spread it in a donut-shaped area from the tips of the canopy to 6 feet beyond the canopy in March, May and July.

August

  • Vegetable garden
    • Sow Winter Squash
    • Sow corn
    • Sow fall marigold & zinnias seeds for fall color
    • Plant sweet corn in late August per HOSS video here.
  • Yard
    • Blueberries – 3 ounces of balanced fertilizer per plant spread evenly over a 4-foot diameter circle or broadcast in a continuous band 3–4 feet wide, centered on the plant row. Repeat this procedure in April, June, August, and October. From IFAS here.
    • Fertilize citrus trees 3 times this year (year 4, 2022) with 1.4 – 2.8 lbs of 8-8-8 each time. From IFAS Table 2 here for later years. For year 5 (2023) and later Nitrogen per year should be 1.1-1.4. If using 10-10-10 then spread 3.7-4.7 lbs per tree. The optimum pH range would be 5.5-6.5. If the soil pH is less than 5.0, the situation should be corrected by the addition of dolomitic limestone.
    • Feed Crape Myrtles lightly every two weeks.
    • Fertilize Camellias in mid-summer with Azalea food. From here.
    • Cut back annuals such as impatiens and vincas to encourage fall blooms.
    • Roses
      • Spray all small blossom roses for Botrytis with Mancozeb
      • Feed every two weeks
      • For ongoing rose care, mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts per gallon of water and apply as a foliar spray. TheSpruce.com.
      • Cut back rose canes to 24–30 inches from the ground for autumn blooms. Per MS State Ext.

September

  • Vegetable garden
    • Sow cabbage
    • Sow broccoli
    • Sow beets the last week
    • Sow Elbon Rye as a cover crop in the last half of the month.
    • Cabbage are heavy feeders and require a considerable amount of nitrogen for larger heads. For best results, inject or soil drench with a balanced fertilizer at least once every two weeks. 
  • Yard
  • Feed Crepe Myrtles lightly every two weeks
  • St. Augustine Grass – Spray Weed-Free-ZonePer IFAS here – For a low maintenance lawn, 1 pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet per each of two applications per season.Include Extinguish for ants with the fertilizer.
  • Gardenias – Fertilize in March, mid-summer, and September with a granular fertilizer formulated for landscape plants or an “acid-forming” product is suitable. Ideally, 30%–50% of the nitrogen should be slow-release. From IFAS here.
  • Daylilies
    • Watch for cooler days and resume feeding daylilies for a final growth spurt that needs to end by the first frost. See here.
    • Divide them when cooler days arrive so they have six weeks to establish roots before cold weather. See here.
  • Fertilize citrus trees 4 times this year (year 3, 2021) with 1.4 – 2.8 lbs of 8-8-8 each time. See IFAS Table 2 here for later years. This is the fourth feeding.

October

  • Vegetable garden
    • Sow Tyee spinach per IFAS here. Spinach grows best when regularly fertilized and watered. Water twice a week and apply a 6-4-4 soluble fertilizer every 10 days or a granular fertilizer about every three weeks.
    • Cabbage are heavy feeders and require a considerable amount of nitrogen for larger heads. For best results, inject or soil drench with a balanced fertilizer at least once every two weeks. 
  • Yard
    • Hydrangeas
      • Autumn is the best time to plant hydrangeas, followed by spring planting. Framers Almanac
      • Prune Bigleaf and Oakleaf in late fall after blooming.  Framers Almanac              
    • Blueberries – 3 ounces of 12-4-8 with 2% magnesium (Mg) fertilizer per plant spread evenly over a 4-foot diameter circle or broadcast in a continuous band 3–4 feet wide, centered on the plant row. Repeat this procedure in April, June, August, and October. From IFAS here.
    • Watch for fall growth flush of Florida Betony and spray the lawn with Atrazine or a combination of carfentrazone, 2,4-D Ester, mecoprop, and dicamba. From Univ of GA Extension.

November

  • Vegetable garden
  • Yard
    • Spread Pendulum 2G Granular Herbicide prior to nighttime temps in the high 50’s; i.e. before germination of Burweed.
    • Camellias: Add some of the new cultivars for bright spots of color in winter. Disbudding, or removing some buds now, ensures larger blooms later. See Camelliashttps://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_camellia
    • Flowering trees: Consider planting an ornamental Taiwan cherry (Prunus campanulata). Late winter brings pink blooms. See The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection and Landscape Designhttps://ffl.ifas.ufl.edu/homeowners/publications.htm
    • From MS State Ext.
      • Plant summer-blooming perennials: irises, daylilies, and daisies. 
      • Plant winter and spring annuals: pansies, pinks, flowering cabbage and kale. 
      • Root rose cuttings and other woody ornamentals.  

December

  • Vegetable garden
  • Yard
    • Camellias – Fungicide for petal blight in the backyard as recommended here.  Applications can be made as a ground spray or sprayed directly on flowers. Ground applications should be made in the fall or early winter before flowering by drenching the soil around plants. For control, a 10-foot circle of fungicide must be applied to the soil surface around each plant (usually 2 or more quarts). Ground applications prevent apothecia development, so spores are never released to infect blossoms. Preventative applications can also be made directly to open flowers. Applications should be initiated when buds begin to show color and repeated based on the labeled fungicide interval. Captan and mancozeb can be used.
    • Move or transplant blueberry bushes from Mid December to mid-February. See IFAS for more info.
    • Plant dormant shrubs: azaleas, camellias, nandinas, wax Ligustrum, Indian hawthornes, pyracanthas, mock oranges, hydrangeas, flowering quince, and spireas. Per MS State Extension.