What month to plant a vegetable garden, for beginners – What to plant NOW

In this quick and easy 12 month planting & gardening guide I’ll share my down and dirty list of what’s going on each month here in USDA zones 8b/9a.

If you are new to the gardening game it can get pretty overwhelming to jump right in. Look, everybody started somewhere. I’m here to say, “Be cool baby! Let’s do this.“

January 

• After holidays limit water to indoor potted poinsettias as they will go dormant.
• You should have some early spring “cool weather” vegetable starts growing indoors (started in Dec.) Its not too late to start some cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
• Be gentle with your lawn. Use a bit of nitrogen rich fertilizer.

Mid January

• Start thinking about pruning roses and trees once new growth appears. (Roses don’t like to be too dense as they like good air flow.)
• Finish collecting seeds (I love my Morning Glories!)
• Dormant spray fruit trees and roses to prevent fungus and pests.

February

• Start some tomatoes and lettuces indoors. Ooh… things are heating up. Start getting excited.
• Do not prune frost damaged plants until new growth appears as it could further weaken plants. Think of that old dead stuff as a winter jacket they’re not ready to part with just yet!
• Start “warm season” starts indoors. Beans, cantaloupe, corn, cucumbers, squash, tomato, watermelon. Dahlias and ranunculus.
• Fertilize fruit trees to yield good quality fruit.
• Roses and fruit trees should be planted by Valentine’s Day so they have the best chance of surviving the summer sun and heat.
• Plant your onions. Mmm onions… often among the first ingredients to a great meal whether you care to admit it or not.
• Fertilize roses about a month after pruning to get them ready for spring!

March

This is when we get humming along…

• Change your sprinkler clocks to reflect the suggestions of your local water authority. Your plants are starting to wake up and need a bit more water.
• Start more warm season veggies indoors for staggered sizes. Start more dahlias too while you’re at it. Those “dinner plate” varieties are just gorgeous!
• Clean up your yard and do a quick check of your irrigation systems replacing any cracked fittings or punctured/split hoses. Keep in mind that some pests can overwinter in garden debris and while it insulates the garden in the winter you don’t want it hanging around causing problems as your garden tries to take off in the spring.
• Look up your last official frost date which means soil is about 60 degrees and night time temperatures are above 50 degrees. My last frost date is around March 15th so I can start transplanting my veggie starts into the garden with less of a chance of an unexpected freeze ruining my work.
• Plant Freesias- put some up off the ground in hanging baskets so they’re easier to smell! You’re welcome. Freesias smell SO good I can hardly stand it. Sparaxis are pretty cute too.

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• Plant some chard, (Rainbow chard might just be my favorite crop ever.) beans, corn and carrots from seed. Oh yeah! Start planting transplants after full sun has passed. Collar little plants to keep slugs and other pests away. Wait until the end of march/early April to transplant tomatoes, summer squash/pumpkin, melon, cucumber and peppers as they like it to be a bit warmer.
• Plant Gladiolus, Iris, Cannas and Dahlias. If you only want to try one I’d suggest Cannas as they are fairly fool proof, grow pretty fast, have large gorgeous foliage and tend to flower longer in my experience. They look pretty tropical to me so I love them by the pool.

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• Plant Gladiolus under a good 4-6″ of soil, the larger the corm the deeper they should be planted. Too shallow and your plants won’t have the anchor they need to grow almost as tall as YOU! Stake the tall varieties.
• Resume watering your Poinsettia. Fertilize. Trim to about 6″ tall. Repot. To encourage branching, occasionally pinch off the tips up until around August.
• Re-seed your lawn unless you’ve recently used weed killer.
• If another freeze is predicted and your Meyer lemons are already in bloom, try wrapping or insulating what you can otherwise the freeze will drop your blossoms. My dwarf Meyer has produced over 100 lemons one year and only 8 the next. There goes all of my glorious marmalade!
• Keep an eye out for those darling Praying Mantis as they start to hatch towards the end of the month. A garden without Mantis or Lady bugs is a pest filled garden for sure! Love your beneficial bugs and your garden will love you back.

Late March

• Plant some tomato starts! Whoo Hoo! Pinch off the lowest leaves and plant deep enough in the soil to cover a few more inches of the stem. This part will grow roots too, which aid in nutrient uptake and stabilizing big beautiful plants. Also, don’t kid yourself, you need a tomato cage. A giant… massive… tomato cage. Don’t skip this step especially if it’s an indeterminate variety (It should say “determinate” or “indeterminate” on your plant tag.) Your tomato plant is going to grow so wild that it will need something to support those massive branches with loads of fruit.

April

• This is when you should be able to start harvesting a few things… peas, cabbage, spinach, beets, lettuce, chard.
• Start a few more veggies indoors.
• Mulch your gardens.

Late April

• Start transplanting a second wave of starts outdoors. Things that like warmer weather… tomatoes, summer squash/pumpkin, melon, cucumber and peppers.
• If you feel like you’re coming in late to the game, you’re not! Check out your local plant nursery and purchase some little plants and transplant them right to your garden. Easy peasy. Poke some seeds directly into the garden like beans, corn, carrots and chard.

May

• Check your sprinkler clocks and update if needed.
• Nematodes can be added to the garden to kill grubs while they come to the surface, before becoming bugs.

June

• Start veggies indoors. Beets, broccoli, brussels, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, chard, collards, kale… get these guys ready so you can plant them in a few weeks. I find it is still just to hot to put babies out in the garden in June and July.

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NOTE: I recommend cherry tomato varieties for beginners as they provide a more dependable harvest here. They are less prone to splitting after a heavy rain, less susceptible to pest attacks, and are quickest to mature! Plus they make for great snacking while you’re in the garden.

July

• Start more cool season veggies indoors. Leeks, lettuces, peas, spinach…
• Enjoy a bit of monsoon weather and watch your plants go nuts. Perhaps restrict watering to your larger tomato varieties as too much sudden water (heavy rains) can split your fruit wide open. Boo, sad face. Another reason why I favor the cherry tomato varieties.
• Trim basil plants back by half to stimulate new growth. That basil will go GREAT with your fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and a splash of balsamic! … and wine. Don’t forget the wine.

August

• Begin transplanting cool season veggies into the garden over the next few months.
• Sow some seeds! Cilantro, borage, dill, parsley, bok choy, carrots, collards, kale, peas, radish, spinach, turnips. Relish the fact that it’s warm enough here to enjoy a second growing season while all of your northern friends are wrapping it up.
• When onions start to fall over they are ready to be pulled up. Allow to dry (2-10) days. Snip the tops off and store in mesh bags where they can dry further.
• Nematodes can be released into garden to kill grubs when they hatch.

September

• Continue transplanting cool season vegetables into the garden.

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October

• This is about your last chance to get any transplants into the garden that can mature before the first frost dates around December 15th.

November

• This should be harvest city for you. Thanksgiving with homegrown food? Now that’s something to be thankful for!
• “rebloom” poinsettia by putting it in darkness 12 hours per night.

December

• Plant some bulbs. Perhaps crocus and bluebells.
• Dig up iris plants. Cut parent into segments that all have their own leaf fan. Allow to heal (scab or crust up) for a few hours then replant with fans facing the sun. The leaves will want to absorb all the sun they can.
• Mulch gladiolus bulbs, lemongrass and sparaxis.
• If you live in an area where you expect to get only a few freezes, try wrapping or insulating your peppers during the freezes. I’ve had plants survive 5-6 years strong.
• Start seeds indoors for February planting.
• Blow out irrigation.

I’m proud of you just for reading this article. Who knew gardening in the dessert could be so rewarding?!

The bottom line:

Don’t be intimidated by timing, watering, pests… just jump in there and get your hands dirty. I’ve killed my fair share of plants, for sure. (Oh so many!) The pride of a successful harvest, or gorgeous flower arrangement, or magical evening on the back patio outweighs the lows I promise.

Let all of us know how it goes by jumping over to Instagram for a bit to share pics with us by using the hashtag #ilubbaplants and saying hi to me @lubba.food.garden.

Happy gardening! XO