Garden calendar

Grow more kai with my month-by-month guide to the Aotearoa-New Zealand fruit and vegetable garden. What to plant, harvest, and tend—and when.

Winter—Hōtoke

Trees lose their leaves, temperatures drop, and the days are shorter with dark, cold, wet nights.

Self-seeded pak choi growing in the garden with the text "June in the garden".
Braids of shallots with the text "July in the garden".
A range of daffodils in flower in the garden with the text "August in the garden".

Spring—Kōanga

The sun rises earlier to crisp, warming mornings. Fresh new growth appears all around with the promises of new beginnings.

A collander filled with eggs, cilantro, and broccoli with the text "September in the garden".
Immature strawberries developing on a plant with the text "October in the garden".
A flowering Xeronema callistemon with the text "November in the garden".

Summer—Raumati

Long hot days to the soundtrack of cicadas. Drought, or deluge? Who can tell. Fresh food begins to abound in every corner.

A flowering pōhutukawa with the text "December in the garden".
A very productive cucumber plant with the text "January in the garden".
Blue cornflowers with the text "February in the garden".

Autumn—Ngahuru

Harvests begin rolling in as the days begin to shorten. Time to begin storing and preparing to bed-down for the darker nights ahead.

A wheelbarrow of spaghetti squash with the text "March in the garden".
A hand holding a large paprika in front of a bowl of paprika with the text "April in the garden".
Ripening mandarins with the text "May in the garden".