This gardening calendar is a guide to maintaining flower and vegetable gardens in the upper Midwest. It covers the general care needed to adequately maintain an average home garden.
The calendar does not cover all aspects of gardening or all different growing conditions that may exist on a specific property.
Flower and vegetable pages on this site have more information on caring for particular plants.
Upper Midwest gardening calendar
| What to do | Best time to do it | Okay time to do it |
|---|---|---|
| Cut back perennials | March, April and November | |
| Start summer vegetable seeds indoors | Mid March through mid April | |
| Direct seed spring cover crops | All April | |
| Divide perennials | 2nd week of April through 3rd week of June | End of June through end of August |
| Water | 3rd week of April through end of November | |
| Mulch beds | May through end of June | October to end of November |
| Weed control | May through September | |
| Plant summer bulbs | Last week of May through 2nd week of June | |
| Direct seed summer vegetables | Last week of May through end of June | |
| Plant annuals | Last week of May through end of June | July through end of August |
| Plant perennials | Last week of May through August | |
| Fertilize | Last week of May through August | |
| Deadhead | June through September | |
| Direct seed fall vegetables | Mid July through mid August | |
| Divide bearded iris | Late July through early August | |
| Divide peonies | Late August through September | |
| Direct seed fall cover crops | September through October | |
| Plant spring bulbs | 2nd week of September through mid November | |
| Clean up vegetable garden | October through November |
Spring cover crops: buckwheat, beans, clover, hairy vetch, peas, alfalfa
Fall cover crops: ryegrass, rye, rapeseed, oats, winter wheat, winter rye
Reviewed in 2018