1. JANUARY

The harsh climate does not allow to sow much, better to take advantage of it to do the work of designing and preparing the garden: removal of the plants left from the previous year, digging up the soil (if it is not frozen) and fertilization.

However, if you want to sow again this month, something can be done.
You can work in a seedbed, to give birth to the seedlings in the heat and then transplant them outside.

Alternatively, if you have space and dexterity, you can build a tunnel and sow the plants that survive even in this season, with a minimum of protection: lettuce, endive, small cheese.

Except for frosts then, if you have a sunny ground, you can sow directly in the open field all the plants that withstand low temperatures: artichokes, garlic, onions, shallots and broad beans.

 

 

2. FEBRUARY

It continues with the preparation work and with limited sowing, with some additions for sowing in the open field: peas, chickpeas, spinach and the first new potatoes.

We collect some winter vegetables, linked to the cultivation in tunnels: cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, hood and brussels sprouts.

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3. MARCH

In spring, the big maneuvers begin! 
The increase in temperatures favours sowing in open fields: spinach, beets, lettuce, potatoes, turnips, Jerusalem artichokes, beets, chicory, celery and carrots.

However, the frosts are still lurking and it is better to protect the most delicate vegetables, planting them in seedbeds: peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkins.

Big job to remember this month? Digging the soil, which frequent spring rains risk making it too hard and compact.

In addition, it is necessary to transplant the seedlings sown in pots during the winter and collect the leafy vegetables, resistant to the cold and with a fast growing cycle: spinach, chard, many salads and some cabbage.

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4. APRIL

With the first warm, we can sow in the open field new plants: peas, broad beans, chickpeas, beans and green beans, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, pumpkins, zucchini and cucumbers.

All these vegetables can be transplanted, if in the previous months you had sown them in pots.

Harvest: we find the last winter vegetables, but the first spring vegetables arrive, such as peas, ribs and rhubarb.

 

5. MAY

Finally we can sow in open field (or transplant): beans and green beans, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, spinach, corn, agretti, herbs, cauliflower, broccoli, chillies, peanuts, capers.

There are also new seasonal arrivals to pick: legumes!

As for the work to be done, from spring to early summer, it is advisable to make supports for climbing plants that are growing and begin to abound in irrigation.
In addition, mild temperatures and spring rains can promote disease, so preventive treatments are recommended.

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6. JUNE
With the arrival of summer you can continue to sow, but the real news are in the harvest: you begin to see the first summer vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers and eggplant.
We also have the first new potatoes and spring onions, as well as all the aromatic herbs.
June is also the first month of summer heat so, if it does not rain, you have to start with frequent irrigation.

 

7. JULY
July is a month of harvest: the tomatoes we cultivated in the previous months, eggplants, peppers, beans, green beans and peas. All our efforts will finally pay off!
However, we must not stop with work, especially with watering.
We can sow the same vegetables of May and June in open field, while in seedbeds we can begin to sow winter vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli.

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8. AUGUST

In August we not only continue to collect, but there are also several jobs to do:

abundant irrigation;

removal of weeds;

digging and fertilizing the soil, to prepare it for new sowing.


We then sow the vegetables that will ripen in autumn: beans, carrots, spinach, fennel, lettuce, leeks, turnip greens, arugula, kohlrabi, beets, savoy cabbage, radicchio, onion, chard, brussels sprouts, zucchini, artichokes.
 

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9. SEPTEMBER

Summer is about to give way to autumn, so we continue with the preparation of the soil for new sowing.
The seeds of September, include the vegetables seen already in August, while in seedbeds we can begin with onions, cabbage and hood.
September is also the ideal month to finish the harvest of all the aromatic herbs, which will then close the growing cycle, such as basil.

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10. OCTOBER

As the various summer vegetables finish their cycle, they continue to dig and fertilize the soil to give it all the nutrients needed for autumn sowing.

With an eye to temperatures, which in this period, especially at night, may drop sharply, we can sow in the open field, broad beans, carrots, lettuce and peas.

For the October harvest come the first autumn vegetables: thistles and fennel are ready.

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11. NOVEMBER

Now we are in the middle of autumn and this means a sharp drop in temperatures and sudden downpours. A fundamental job is therefore to protect the plants from the weather.

In November we plant: in the open field, broad beans, peas, spinach; in the seedbed, however, you can proceed with the sowing of lettuce.

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12. DECEMBER

We are at the end of the solar year and the intense cold suggests, except for the warmer areas, to let the soil rest and to protect with a tunnel the seedlings already sown.

But we can make a very tasty exception: December is the month of artichokes! If properly protected, artichokes can survive the cold and ensure harvest in the following months.