1) Why garden with the seasons

A garden breathes. Across the year, soil temperature, day length, and available water become your real roadmap. Following that rhythm isn't restraint—it's how you garden with less water, healthier soil, and steadier harvests.

2) Read your growing window (climate • soil • light)

Three levers shape your dates:

• Climate & microclimate: day/night swings, wind, exposure, heat islands on balconies.
• Soil: living soil (mulch, organic matter, mycorrhizae) warms and breathes better, sometimes bringing sowings forward.
• Light: day length drives flowering and fruit set for many crops.

3) The year at a glance (spring → winter)

4) Month-by-month: simple decision rules

Instead of rigid lists, rely on three checks:

Soil temperature (germination threshold)

🔗Trust soil temperature thresholds rather than calendar dates (see OSU Extension , ACES, Univ. of Oregon for crop-by-crop ranges).

Day length (are you pushing growth or triggering bloom?)

Water tension (your irrigation capacity + ground cover)

As late summer softens into early fall, many gardens benefit from "restart sowings." If you're mapping this window, you'll appreciate our round-up on what to sow in September—quick greens, light cover crops, and late nectar for pollinators.

5) Water & living soil: adjust effort by season

• Spring — short, frequent waterings at sowing; space them out once roots anchor.
• Summer — one deep watering and a light-colored mulch cut evaporation; in containers, prefer capillary/reservoir systems.
• Autumn — moisture structures soil; don't leave it bare—cover it with gentle mixes.
• Winter — skip watering when cold and saturated; build organic matter instead.

🔗 INRAE — Plant cover & ecosystem services: effects on infiltration, structural stability, auxiliaries/pollinators. and FAO — Soil health & ecosystem services: syntheses on covered soils, water infiltration, erosion, soil biodiversity. syntheses show that covered, biologically active soils infiltrate water better, reduce erosion, and stabilize yields—your best climate insurance. syntheses show that covered, biologically active soils infiltrate water better, reduce erosion, and stabilize yields—your best climate insurance.

6) Helpful biodiversity & companion blooms, on time

• Late winter / early spring: sweet alyssum, phacelia—early nectar for hoverflies and wild bees. 🔗UNH (hoverflies & alyssum)
  🔗UNH (hoverflies & alyssum)
• High summer: borage, cosmos—keeps pollinators working when beds tire.
• Autumn: calendula, asters—a final nectar bridge before winter.

7) SeedsWild tools (AI alerts & garden log)

• Sow_Stage — pings when soil temp hits a crop's threshold.
• Growth_Stage — tracks first bloom/fruit set so you feed at the right time.
• Harvest_Period — calls the peak harvest window (flavor & nutrition).
• Seed Alerts — frost/wind/heat advisories with simple protection moves.
• Garden Log — capture dates, compare seasons, and anticipate the next, with calendar notifications for sowing and harvest dates.

8) Further reading you'll find handy

• What to sow in November — winter salads, broad beans, light cover crops, bulbs. (slug: /what-to-sow-in-november) - coming
• What to sow in December & start indoors — microgreens, herbs under lights, cold-frame lettuces. (slug: /what-to-sow-in-december-indoor-starts)
• Winter bed prep made simple — mulch choices, fabrics, frost-killed covers. (slug: /winter-bed-prep-mulch-cover-crops)- coming
• Bare-root fruit trees: winter planting window (Dec–Feb) — timing, heel-in, establishment watering. (slug: /bare-root-fruit-trees-winter-planting)
• February sowing calendar by climate zone — soil temps, mini-tunnels, thermal fleece. (slug: /february-sowing-calendar-by-zone) - coming