Gardening Resources & UK Directories

Gardening resources we rate

GardenCalc is a free set of UK gardening calculators, but the calculators do not work in a vacuum. This page collects the directories, communities and data sources we genuinely rate: the places we point people to, and the authorities our numbers are checked against.

Run a UK gardening website or directory and want to swap links? Email hello@gardencalc.uk. We are happy to link to genuinely useful gardening resources. One honest caveat: we only list things we would actually use ourselves, so if your site is a thin affiliate page we will politely pass, and we would expect you to hold us to the same standard.

UK gardening directories and communities

A handy way to find local gardening services, suppliers and fellow gardeners. These are UK-focused gardening directories and communities worth a look:

The Garden Directory — a human-reviewed directory of UK gardening and landscaping businesses, blogs and resources. Because a person checks each listing before it goes live, the quality holds up far better than the big automated directories. Good first stop if you need a local trade you can actually vet.
Garden Forum — a long-running community where UK gardeners swap advice and answer each other's questions. The archive runs deep, so odds are your exact problem has been asked and answered by someone gardening in the same climate and soil as you. Worth searching before you post.
Landscape Juice Network — the UK network for professional landscapers and gardeners. If you are pricing up a bigger job like a patio, decking or a full garden redesign, reading how the professionals discuss materials and costs is a genuinely useful reality check before you get quotes in.
Gardenzine — a free UK gardening magazine with a classified directory. Practical seasonal articles written for British conditions, plus classifieds that lean toward smaller specialist suppliers you will not find on the high street.

Allotment communities

Some of the most practical growing knowledge in the UK lives on allotment sites, and some of the earliest links to GardenCalc came from allotment societies who found the calculators useful. Two places worth knowing:

The National Allotment Society — the national body for allotment holders. Guidance on getting a plot, your rights as a tenant, and growing advice aimed at productive plots rather than ornamental gardens.
Allotment Online — a directory and community hub for UK allotment sites and societies, useful for finding a plot near you and connecting with your local society.

Trusted data sources

Every figure in our calculators is checked against published UK authorities. If you want to dig into the source data yourself, start here:

RHS — Royal Horticultural Society — sowing and planting calendars, lawn feeding rates and pest advice. When a GardenCalc figure touches on what to plant and when, the RHS guidance is the benchmark we check it against. Their advice pages are free and cover almost every plant you can grow in the UK.
Met Office — UK climate averages — the 30-year frost and rainfall data behind our frost date and water butt tools. This is the primary source for UK climate normals, and it is the reason our frost dates change with your postcode rather than giving everyone the same generic answer.

Our free calculators

Looking for a specific tool? Every GardenCalc calculator is free, needs no signup, and uses UK units and product sizes:

Grass Seed Calculator — how much grass seed for a new lawn, overseeding or bare patches.
Compost Calculator — compost in litres, bags and bulk bags for any project.
Topsoil Calculator — topsoil for raised beds, borders and containers.
Gravel Calculator — gravel and decorative stone for paths, drives and patios.
Frost Date Calculator — your last and first frost dates by UK postcode.
Planting Calendar — what to sow and plant each month across 30+ UK vegetables.

See the full list of calculators or read more about GardenCalc.