UK Vegetable Planting Calendar 2026

UK Growing Seasons: Your Complete Vegetable Planting Guide

The UK vegetable growing season runs from March to October for most outdoor crops, but with planning you can sow, grow, or harvest something in every month of the year. Success depends on three things: local last-frost dates, soil temperature, and choosing crops that suit your region. Get those right and the rest is just watering.

Safe-to-Plant-Out Dates by Region

Frost is the single biggest factor in UK vegetable planting. Tender crops like tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans, and squash will be killed by a late frost. The dates below are safe-to-plant-out dates per RHS guidance — they sit 2–4 weeks later than the meteorological last frost because late cold snaps still hit after the 'official' last frost passes. Plant tender crops on these dates, not the older bare-frost dates.

• Southern England & London: Early-to-mid May
• Midlands & Wales: Mid-to-late May
• Northern England: Late May to early June
• Scotland & Northern Ireland: Early-to-mid June, later at altitude

If you are unsure, err on the side of caution. Starting seeds indoors on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse gives you a head start without the frost risk. Watch the BBC Weather or Met Office 5-day forecast for late-frost warnings before transplanting. For postcode-specific timing, our frost date calculator reads the nearest Met Office station to your postcode and returns 90% confidence intervals — far better than the regional averages above.

Soil Temperature and Germination

Seeds need warm soil to germinate. Even if the air feels warm in March, the soil may still be too cold for most crops. As a general rule:

• 5°C minimum: Hardy crops — broad beans, peas, onion sets, garlic
• 10°C minimum: Most vegetables — carrots, beetroot, lettuce, chard, kale
• 15°C minimum: Tender crops — tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, French beans, sweetcorn

Some links below are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

A soil thermometer costs about a fiver and saves weeks of frustration from failed sowings. Push it 5cm into the soil at 9am for the most accurate reading — measuring at midday gives a misleading peak temperature, not the overnight low that determines whether your seeds survive.

How to Use This Planting Calendar

The interactive calendar above covers 30 common UK vegetables. The month strip shows the whole year — tap any month to see what to sow indoors, sow outdoors, plant out, and harvest. The gantt grid shows every crop's full year at a glance, with diagonal stripes for indoor sowing, solid for outdoor, and the sage block for harvest. Set your region in the bar above the calendar and the recommendations adjust by 1–4 weeks accordingly.

Click any crop name to open its detail drawer — you will see its full 12-month schedule and can save it to your plan. The plan persists in your browser, prints to a single page, and saves as PDF. Getting ready to plant? Use our compost calculator to work out how much compost you need, or our top soil calculator if you are filling new raised beds.

Last updated 6 May 2026 · Reviewed by Gary Hodson

What to Plant Now UK — May 2026

May is the pivot month: tender crops finally go outside, succession sowing starts, and the soil is reliably above 10°C in most of the UK by the second week. After mid-May in the south (early June for Scotland), there is no frost risk left to worry about for tomatoes, courgettes, and runner beans.

• Sow indoors now: French beans, runner beans, sweetcorn, basil — all to be planted out in late May or early June once the soil is consistently above 12°C.
• Sow outdoors now: Beetroot, carrots, lettuce, radishes, spring onions, chard, kale (in succession every 2–3 weeks for a steady salad supply through to October).
• Plant out now: Tomatoes, courgettes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, sweetcorn — all after hardening off for 7–10 days. Use horticultural fleece for the first week if a cold snap is forecast.
• Harden off now: Anything still indoors that wants to come out by month-end. Two hours outside on day 1, four hours on day 2, scaling up to a full night by day 10.
• Build now: Runner bean wigwams (six 2.4m canes per cluster, planted to a 90cm circle), courgette planting stations (30cm hole filled with compost), and slug defences before the seedlings need them.

Read the full May planting guide for detailed sowing dates, or look ahead to June to plan succession sowing. Confirm your local last-frost date with the frost date calculator before planting tender crops outdoors.

What Vegetables Can I Plant Now in the UK?

What you can plant in the UK depends on the month. In spring (March–May) sow hardy crops outdoors and start tender ones indoors. In summer (June–August) succession-sow salads and harvest the main crop. In autumn (September–November) plant garlic and overwintering crops. Always check soil temperature alongside the calendar date.

Spring (March – May): The Main Sowing Season

Spring is when most UK vegetable growing begins. The key is soil temperature — most seeds need the soil to reach at least 7–10°C before they will germinate reliably outdoors. A cheap soil thermometer (around £5) is your best investment.

Summer (June – August): Succession Sowing & Harvesting

By June, most main crops are in the ground and the focus shifts to succession sowing — planting small batches every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Keep sowing lettuce, radishes, beetroot, spring onions, and chard. Plant out leeks and brassica transplants (winter cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts) in July for autumn and winter harvests. This is also peak harvest time for courgettes, tomatoes, French beans, and early potatoes — pick courgettes when they hit 15cm, before they become marrows. A plant left unpicked for a week stops producing entirely.

Autumn (September – November): Planting for Next Year

Autumn is the most overlooked planting season, but experienced gardeners know it is crucial. Plant garlic cloves and overwintering onion sets in October for an early crop next summer — autumn-planted garlic produces noticeably bigger bulbs than spring-planted because the cold spell triggers clove formation. Sow overwintering broad beans and hardy pea varieties like 'Douce Provence' for a spring head start. Sow green manures (field beans, phacelia, crimson clover) on empty beds to fix nitrogen and protect the soil over winter. Harvest pumpkins, squash, maincrop potatoes, and onions for winter storage.

Winter (December – February): Planning & Indoor Sowing

Winter is for planning, ordering seeds, and getting a head start with indoor sowing. Start onions and leeks indoors in January. Sow tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines on a warm windowsill in February — they need the longest growing season of any UK crop. Clean pots, sharpen tools, and plan your succession planting schedule. If you are preparing new beds, use our compost calculator to work out how much material you need.

Sources: Royal Horticultural Society — sowing temperature ranges, RHS Plants for a Purpose 2024 archive. Met Office — UK regional climate averages, accessed May 2026. DEFRA — UK frost date averages 1991–2020. Disclaimer: dates and ranges are guidance — verify against RHS, Met Office, or your local horticultural society before acting on tender-crop transplant decisions.

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When to Plant Vegetables in the UK

Most UK vegetable sowing happens between February and August. Hardy crops start in February or March; tender crops wait until after the last frost in May; autumn-sown crops (garlic, overwintering broad beans) go in October–November. Use the calendar above to see what is in season now.

The single biggest predictor of sowing success is soil temperature, not calendar date. A March sowing into cold, wet soil rots; the same seed dropped into 10°C soil in mid-April germinates in five days and overtakes the earlier sowing within a fortnight. Patience is the cheapest tool in the shed.

Timings are based on average UK conditions. If you garden in northern Scotland or at altitude, shift sowing dates 2–3 weeks later in spring and 2–3 weeks earlier in autumn. Coastal gardens (Cornwall, west Wales, the Northern Ireland coast) get a week's head-start on the southern English averages thanks to the Gulf Stream. Urban gardens in London or Manchester are typically a fortnight ahead of the surrounding countryside. The interactive month strip above takes the guesswork out of which crops belong in which week.

Getting ready to plant? Use our compost calculator to work out how much compost you need for your beds, or our topsoil calculator to work out how much top soil you need for new raised beds.

UK Vegetable Planting Guide by Month

The UK vegetable calendar runs from January's planning lull to December's harvest of stored crops. Use this guide alongside the planting calendar above to know exactly what to sow, plant out, and harvest each month — it is the same data the gantt above uses, laid out for skim-reading.

This planting guide covers the most popular UK vegetables. Exact dates vary by location — gardeners in Scotland and northern England should typically add 2–3 weeks to outdoor sowing dates compared to the south of England.

January

The quietest month in the vegetable garden, but not a month to waste. Order seeds from catalogues, plan your crop rotation, and clean pots and seed trays. In mild areas or with a heated propagator, you can start onion seeds and early broad beans indoors. Outdoors, harvest any remaining leeks, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts — the first hard frost converts the starches in sprouts to sugar, which is why allotment growers leave them on the stalk.

February

The first real sowing month. Start tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, and chillies on a warm windowsill — they need the longest growing season of any UK crop. In milder areas, sow broad beans directly outdoors. Prepare beds by forking in compost and covering with black polythene to warm the soil ahead of March sowing — RHS guidance notes black polythene measurably lifts topsoil temperature in the top 5cm and can shorten the wait for a viable outdoor sowing window.

March

The garden wakes up. Sow peas, spinach, carrots, and onion sets outdoors once the soil reaches 7-10°C. Indoors, start courgettes, cucumbers, lettuce, and celery. Plant first early potatoes in trenches from mid-March in the south. This is the busiest sowing month of the year — see our complete March planting guide for full details.

April

The outdoor sowing season opens up properly. Direct sow beetroot, radishes, lettuce, chard, and kale. Start squash, pumpkins, sweetcorn, and basil indoors — they need warmth to germinate. Plant out onion sets and shallots. First earlies potatoes go in if you did not plant in March. Watch out for late frosts — keep fleece handy. See our April planting guide.

May

The great move outdoors. After the last frost (mid-May for most of the UK), plant out tomatoes, courgettes, squash, cucumbers, and peppers. Direct sow French beans, runner beans, and sweetcorn. Start succession sowing lettuce and radishes for a continuous harvest. May is the month that fills your garden — see our May planting guide.

June

Succession sowing takes centre stage. Keep sowing beetroot, carrots, lettuce, and turnips every 2-3 weeks for continuous cropping. Plant out leeks, celery, and sweetcorn (in blocks for pollination — sweetcorn is wind-pollinated and rows produce poor cobs). Your first harvests arrive — early broad beans, peas, strawberries, and the first lettuce leaves. See our June planting guide for full details.

July

Peak harvest month. Courgettes, tomatoes, French beans, cucumbers, and beetroot are all cropping hard. Pick courgettes while small (15-20cm) for the best flavour. Remove tomato side-shoots weekly. Sow kale, spring cabbage, chard, and winter lettuce for autumn harvests. Do not stop watering — a dry July ruins crops. See our July planting guide.

August

Autumn preparation begins alongside continued harvesting. Sow overwintering onion sets, spinach, turnips, and winter lettuce. Harvest sweetcorn when the tassels turn brown, and lift maincrop potatoes before slug damage sets in. Start collecting seeds from your best plants for next year. If you grow tomatoes outdoors, remove the growing tip to direct energy into ripening fruit.

September

The season turns. Sow garlic cloves, winter spinach, and lamb's lettuce for winter salads. Plant out spring cabbages and winter lettuce. Harvest pumpkins and squash, cure them in the sun for a week before storing — cured pumpkins keep until February in a cool, dry room. Harvest onions when the tops fold over, dry them on a rack before plaiting or bagging. Green tomatoes? Pick them and ripen on a sunny windowsill.

October

The last major planting window of the year. Plant garlic cloves and overwintering broad beans for an early crop next spring. Sow winter lettuce under cloches. Clear spent crops, add compost to empty beds, and cover with mulch to protect the soil over winter. Harvest leeks, parsnips, swede, and Brussels sprouts — all taste better after the first frost.

November

The garden slows down. In mild areas, you can still sow overwintering broad beans. Continue harvesting kale, leeks, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts as needed — they store best in the ground. Dig over empty beds and add well-rotted manure. Clean and oil tools. This is the month for planning next year's compost and soil needs.

December

The quietest month. Harvest winter crops as you need them — leeks, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and kale are all at their best. Order seed catalogues and plan next year's plot. Check stored crops for rot. If the ground is not frozen, you can still plant garlic. Otherwise, put your feet up — you have earned it.

Regional Planting Adjustments for the UK

The UK stretches over 600 miles from north to south, and altitude, coastal exposure, and urban heat islands all affect growing conditions. Adjust the planting calendar by the figures below — or set your region in the bar above the calendar to apply them automatically.

Three local factors override the regional averages in the table. Altitude: every 100m of elevation drops the average soil temperature by roughly 0.6°C and pushes the last frost about a week later, so a Pennine garden at 300m is effectively three weeks behind a coastal Yorkshire garden at sea level even though both are in "Northern England". Coastal exposure: the sea moderates extremes — coastal Cornwall, west Wales and Northern Ireland's coast benefit from Gulf Stream warmth and rarely see deep frost, but salt-laden winds reduce yield on tender crops without a windbreak. Urban heat: London and central Manchester run 1–2°C warmer than surrounding countryside, so urban gardens can sow about a fortnight earlier than the regional table suggests.

If you're at the boundary of two regions or live somewhere with strong microclimate effects (south-facing walled garden, river valley, exposed hilltop), use the frost date calculator for your postcode rather than the table — it reads the nearest Met Office station and weighs in elevation.

Tip: A cheap soil thermometer (about a fiver) is the most useful tool for deciding when to sow outdoors. Push it 5cm into the soil at 9am — if it reads 10°C or above consistently for a week, you are safe to sow most crops. For a postcode-specific frost-date estimate that beats regional averages, use the frost date calculator.

5 Common Vegetable Planting Mistakes

The five most common UK planting mistakes share one root cause: ignoring soil temperature in favour of calendar dates. The list below covers the rest. Avoid them and you will save weeks of replanting and the cost of a second round of seeds.

1. Sowing too early. It is tempting to start in February, but seeds sown into cold, wet soil either rot or sit dormant. Wait until soil temperature is right — a few weeks' patience gives better results than a two-month head start in the wrong conditions.
2. Ignoring regional frost dates. The calendar above is based on average UK conditions. If you garden in Scotland or northern England, shift outdoor sowing 2-3 weeks later. Use the regional table above to adjust.
3. Overwatering seedlings indoors. More seedlings are killed by overwatering than underwatering. Keep compost moist but not soaking — if it feels wet when you squeeze it, wait before watering again. Good drainage is essential.
4. Skipping hardening off. Seedlings grown indoors must be gradually acclimatised to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days before planting out. Put them outside during the day, bring them in at night. Skip this step and transplant shock will set your plants back by weeks.
5. Not succession sowing. Planting everything at once gives you a glut followed by nothing. Sow small batches of lettuce, radishes, beetroot, and spring onions every 2-3 weeks for a steady harvest from May to October.

Which Vegetables Grow Fastest in the UK?

Radishes are the fastest UK vegetable, ready to harvest in 4 weeks from sowing. Rocket and salad-leaf lettuce follow at 4 to 5 weeks. Spring onions take 8 to 10 weeks, beetroot 10 to 12 weeks, and courgettes give a heavy crop within 8 to 10 weeks of sowing. All five can be sown directly outdoors from March to August in southern England, or 2 to 3 weeks later in Scotland and the north.

The single biggest factor in fast-cropping is soil temperature, not calendar date. Radishes will germinate at 4°C but grow twice as fast at 15°C, so a sowing into warm late-April soil out-yields a sowing into cold mid-March soil — even though the March sowing went in earlier. A £5 soil thermometer pays for itself in the first season.

Want a continuous radish/salad supply? Sow a short row every 14 days from late March to early September. Use the gantt above to find every fast crop in one view, and our frost date calculator for the soil-temperature window in your postcode.

What's the Best Month to Plant Tomatoes in the UK?

Plant out tomatoes in mid-May for most of the UK, or early June for Scotland and the highlands. Soil temperature should be at least 12°C and the last frost must have passed. Sow seed indoors in February or March on a warm windowsill, prick out into 9cm pots in April, and harden off for 7 to 10 days before transplanting. First fruit ripens late July; harvest runs to October.

Outdoor tomatoes need a sheltered south-facing wall or fence to ripen reliably in the UK climate. Indeterminate (cordon) varieties like 'Gardener's Delight' or 'Sungold' want a single stake and weekly side-shoot pinching. Bush (determinate) varieties like 'Tumbling Tom' suit hanging baskets and patio pots — no staking needed.

Watering matters more than feed. Inconsistent watering is the single biggest cause of split fruit and blossom-end rot. Water deeply twice a week rather than a sprinkle every day. Confirm your last frost date with the frost date calculator before transplanting — a single late frost kills a tomato plant in one night.

5 Easiest Vegetables to Grow in the UK

If you are new to vegetable gardening, start with these five. They are forgiving of mistakes, do not need much space, and give a satisfying harvest in your first season — radishes are ready in 4 weeks, courgettes produce 4kg per plant on average, and runner beans crop from July to October.

1. Radishes. The fastest vegetable you can grow — ready to harvest in just 4 weeks from sowing. Sow directly outdoors from March to September. They need almost no space and are perfect for filling gaps between slower crops. Use our soil calculator if you need to prepare a new bed.
2. Lettuce. Cut-and-come-again varieties let you harvest leaves for months from a single sowing. Sow a short row every 2-3 weeks from March to August for salad all summer. Lettuce grows happily in containers, raised beds, or open ground.
3. Runner beans. Sow outdoors after the last frost (mid-May for most of the UK) against a wigwam or frame. Water regularly once flowering starts. A single row of 8-10 plants will feed a family all summer with minimal effort. Use our fertiliser calculator for the right feed rate.
4. Courgettes. Just 2-3 plants produce more courgettes than most families can eat. Start seeds indoors in April, plant out after the last frost, and keep watered. Harvest when fruits are 15-20cm long for the best flavour. They are practically impossible to kill.
5. Potatoes. Plant seed potatoes in March-April, earth up as the foliage grows, and harvest from June onwards. First earlies are ready in 10-12 weeks and taste incomparably better than shop-bought. Even a large container on a patio works. Check our compost calculator for how much growing medium you need.

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions below are pulled from Google's "people also ask" feature for UK planting queries. Each answer is structured for snippet eligibility — definition first, then a number, then a caveat. The on-page text matches the FAQ schema verbatim so Google can pull from either source.

UK Herb Planting Calendar

Most popular herbs split into three groups in the UK: hardy perennials (rosemary, thyme, sage, chives, mint) that come back every year and need almost no work; tender annuals (basil, dill, coriander) that need warmth and succession sowing; and biennials (parsley) that flower in their second year. Knowing which group a herb belongs to determines whether you sow once and harvest for a decade or sow every three weeks for a continuous supply.

Hardy perennials want poor, well-drained soil and full sun. Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage) actively struggle in rich UK garden soil — too much nitrogen produces leggy plants with weak essential-oil concentration. Plant them in a gritty mix and resist the urge to feed.

Tender annuals tell you when they're unhappy: basil collapses overnight if temperatures drop below 10°C, coriander bolts to flower within days of a hot spell. Sow basil in May (or April under glass), coriander every three weeks from March to August using slow-bolt varieties like 'Confetti' or 'Leisure'. The table below covers when to sow, when to harvest, and one practical note per herb.

Tip: The easiest herb garden for a beginner is a large pot with rosemary, thyme, and chives — all three are perennial, low-maintenance, and ready to pick year-round. Add a separate pot of basil in summer and parsley in spring for the five herbs that cover 90% of home cooking.

Companion Planting Guide for UK Vegetables

Companion planting is the practice of growing certain plants together so they benefit each other — attracting pollinators, deterring pests, fixing nitrogen, or providing shade. UK kitchen gardens have used it for centuries, and several pairings (carrots-with-onions, brassicas-with-dill) are documented by the RHS as reducing pest pressure when used alongside conventional crop rotation.

The biology behind companion planting is mostly chemistry. Onions and leeks release sulphur compounds that mask the scent of carrot foliage to female carrot fly — the pest can't find what it can't smell. Tomatoes and basil share a root-zone chemistry that boosts both crops' flavour while basil's volatile oils repel whitefly. Beans (and peas) host nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules, which is why following a bean crop with a nitrogen-hungry brassica is a classic UK rotation pattern.

The flip side is just as real. Brassicas planted near strawberries compete for the same nutrients and stunt both. Tomatoes and potatoes both belong to the Solanaceae family and share blight (Phytophthora infestans) — a single infected potato volunteer can wipe out a tomato bed three rows away. Onions and garlic suppress the rhizobial bacteria that beans and peas depend on for nitrogen-fixing, so legume yield drops noticeably if alliums are nearby.

For a UK plot under 50m², you don't need to design a complex companion scheme. Apply two simple rules: never plant the same family in the same spot two years running (rotation), and dedicate one planting hole in five to a flower or herb (marigold, nasturtium, calendula, dill, basil). That covers ~80% of the practical benefit without bookkeeping.

The simplest companion planting rule: grow flowers among your vegetables. Marigolds, nasturtiums, and calendula attract beneficial insects, deter pests, and add colour to the vegetable patch. Dedicate one in every five planting spaces to flowers and you will notice fewer pest problems immediately.

Growing Vegetables in Containers — What Works in Pots

Most home vegetables grow well in containers on a patio, balcony, or sunny doorstep. The two factors that decide success are pot size and watering consistency — containers dry out faster than open ground, sometimes twice daily in July, and shallow pots stunt root crops and beans. Match the crop to the right minimum volume, water with a routine rather than guesswork, and a south-facing balcony will out-yield a shaded back garden.

Tomatoes, courgettes, runner beans, salad leaves, radishes, spring onions, chillies, and potatoes (in grow bags) are the eight crops that perform best in containers. Crops to avoid in pots: parsnips and other long taproots (need 30cm+ depth and consistent moisture), Brussels sprouts and kale (top-heavy, blow over in autumn winds), and main-crop maincrop potatoes (yield drops sharply vs ground).

Compost choice matters more than fertiliser dose. A peat-free multipurpose with added perlite (4 parts compost : 1 part perlite) drains well and holds nutrients without compaction. Top up with slow-release fertiliser granules at planting and switch to weekly liquid feed once flowers appear.

Essential container tips: Use multipurpose compost mixed with perlite for drainage. Water every day in summer — twice daily in heatwaves. Add slow-release fertiliser granules when planting and liquid feed weekly from June. Use our compost calculator to work out how much compost you need for your pots and planters, or our soil calculator for raised beds.

How Long Do Vegetables Take to Grow?

"How long until I can eat it?" is the question every new gardener asks. The shortest answer in the table below is 4 weeks (radishes); the longest is 40 weeks (autumn-planted garlic). Most popular UK crops fall between 8 and 16 weeks from sowing to first harvest.

Three factors stretch or shrink those numbers. Soil temperature is the biggest — every crop has a minimum germination temperature, and a March sowing into 6°C soil sits dormant for two to three weeks before it starts to grow, while an April sowing into 12°C soil germinates in 5 days. Daylight is the second — long-day crops like onions need 14+ hours of summer light to bulb up, which is why UK-grown onions never beat their southern-European equivalents on size. Variety choice is the third — first-early potato varieties crop in 10 weeks, maincrop varieties take 22.

For a continuous summer harvest, mix crop times deliberately: pair a 4-week radish sowing with a 16-week tomato bed and a 22-week parsnip row, all sown in March, and you'll be eating from the garden every week from April through October.

Want results fast? Start with radishes, rocket, and lettuce — first harvest within a month of sowing. For something more substantial, courgettes and French beans give huge yields in 10 weeks. The slowest crops — garlic, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts — are planted months in advance but reward patience with some of the best flavours in the garden.

Detailed Monthly Planting Guides — Long-Form Drill-Down

Planning a productive vegetable garden means knowing exactly what to do in every month of the year. The UK growing season is longer than most people realise — with the right crops, you can be sowing, planting, or harvesting in all twelve months. This detailed guide covers each month in detail, with advice on what to sow indoors, what to sow outdoors, what to plant out, and what to harvest. Adjust timings by 2–3 weeks if you garden in northern England or Scotland.

January — Planning and Early Starts

January is the quietest month in the vegetable garden, but smart gardeners use it wisely. Order seeds from catalogues while the best varieties are still in stock. Plan your crop rotation to avoid planting the same family in the same spot two years running. Clean and sharpen tools, wash seed trays, and sort through last year's leftover seeds — most are still viable if stored cool and dry. If you have a heated propagator, you can start onion seeds and early broad beans indoors from mid-January. Outdoors, continue harvesting overwintering crops like leeks, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and kale, which all taste sweeter after frost. Read our full January planting guide for more.

February — The First Real Sowing Month

February marks the true start of the indoor sowing season. Start tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, and chillies on a warm windowsill or in a heated propagator — these crops need the longest growing season and benefit from an early start. Sow onion seeds and early lettuce indoors for planting out in April. In milder areas of southern England, you can sow broad beans directly outdoors from late February. Prepare beds by forking in well-rotted compost or manure, and cover bare soil with black polythene to warm it ahead of March sowing. Use our compost calculator to work out how much you need. Check out the complete February planting guide.

March — The Busiest Sowing Month

March is when the vegetable garden truly comes alive. Outdoors, sow peas, spinach, carrots, parsnips, radishes, lettuce, rocket, and spring onions once the soil reaches 7–10°C. Plant onion sets, shallots, and first early potatoes directly into the ground from mid-March in southern areas. Indoors, start courgettes, cucumbers, celery, and more lettuce. This is the busiest sowing month of the year and the foundation of your summer harvest. Be guided by soil temperature rather than the calendar date — a £5 soil thermometer is your best investment. See our detailed March planting guide for exact timings.

April — Outdoor Sowing Opens Up

April is when the range of crops you can sow outdoors expands dramatically. Direct sow beetroot, radishes, lettuce, chard, kale, turnips, and more carrots. Start squash, pumpkins, sweetcorn, and basil indoors — they need warmth to germinate. Plant out onion sets if you have not already done so, and get second early and maincrop potatoes in the ground. April is also the best month for complete beginners to start, as the warmer soil is more forgiving and most crops still have plenty of time to grow. Keep horticultural fleece handy for late frost protection. Our April planting guide has the full list.

May — The Great Move Outdoors

May is the pivotal month when tender crops finally go outside. After the last frost — typically mid-May in most of the UK — plant out tomatoes, courgettes, squash, cucumbers, peppers, and aubergines. Harden off seedlings over 7–10 days before transplanting. Direct sow French beans, runner beans, and sweetcorn outdoors. Begin succession sowing lettuce and radishes every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest all summer. May is the month that fills every spare inch of growing space. Check our May planting guide and use our frost date calculator to confirm your local last frost date.

June — Succession Sowing and First Harvests

June brings the first real rewards. Harvest early broad beans, peas, strawberries, and the first salad leaves. Keep succession sowing beetroot, carrots, lettuce, spring onions, and turnips every 2–3 weeks to ensure continuous cropping through summer. Plant out leeks, celery, celeriac, and sweetcorn (in blocks of at least 4x4 for wind pollination). Water consistently as temperatures rise — irregular watering causes blossom end rot in tomatoes and bolting in lettuce. See our full June planting guide.

July — Peak Harvest Season

July is the peak harvest month. Courgettes, tomatoes, French beans, cucumbers, beetroot, and early potatoes are all cropping hard. Pick courgettes when they are 15–20cm long for the best flavour and to encourage more fruit. Remove tomato side-shoots weekly and feed with tomato fertiliser. Start thinking about autumn and winter — sow kale, spring cabbage, chard, and winter lettuce now for harvests from October onwards. Keep on top of watering, especially containers which can dry out in hours. Visit our July planting guide for more detail.

August — Autumn Preparation Begins

August is a busy month of harvesting and autumn preparation. Harvest sweetcorn when the tassels turn brown and the kernels are plump. Lift maincrop potatoes before slug damage worsens. Sow overwintering onion sets, spinach, turnips, and winter lettuce for autumn and winter harvests. If you grow tomatoes outdoors, remove the growing tip by mid-August to direct the plant's energy into ripening existing fruit before the cold arrives. Collect seeds from your best-performing plants to save for next year. Our August planting guide covers everything.

September — The Season Turns

September signals the transition from summer to autumn. Plant garlic cloves for next year's crop — autumn planting gives bigger bulbs than spring planting. Sow winter spinach, lamb's lettuce, and winter purslane for cold-season salads. Plant out spring cabbages and cover with netting against pigeons. Harvest pumpkins and squash, cure them in the sun for a week before storing in a cool, dry place. Harvest onions when the tops fold over naturally and dry them on a rack. Green tomatoes can be picked and ripened on a sunny windowsill. See our September planting guide.

October — The Last Major Planting Window

October is the final major planting window of the year. Plant garlic cloves and overwintering broad beans for an early crop next spring — both need a cold period to develop properly. Sow winter lettuce under cloches or in a cold frame. Clear spent summer crops, add a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure to empty beds, and cover with mulch to protect the soil structure over winter. Harvest leeks, parsnips, swede, celeriac, and Brussels sprouts — all of these taste noticeably better after the first frost. Our October planting guide has the full details. Use our mulch calculator to work out how much winter mulch you need.

November — Winding Down

The garden slows down significantly in November. In mild areas, you can still sow overwintering broad beans outdoors — they will sit dormant until spring and then grow away strongly for an early June harvest. Continue harvesting kale, leeks, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and celeriac as you need them — they store best left in the ground. Dig over empty beds and add well-rotted manure or garden compost. Clean, sharpen, and oil all tools before storing them for winter. This is the ideal month for planning next year's garden layout, ordering seeds, and calculating your compost and soil needs. See our November planting guide.

December — Rest and Reflection

December is the quietest month in the vegetable garden, and that is perfectly fine. Harvest winter crops as you need them — leeks, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and kale are all at their best in December. If the ground is not frozen, you can still plant garlic cloves. Check stored pumpkins and squash for any signs of rot and remove affected fruit. Order seed catalogues and make a rough plan for next year's plot — deciding what worked well and what you would change. Otherwise, put your feet up — the hard work starts again in February. Read our December planting guide for winter jobs.

UK Growing Season Length by Region

The UK covers over 600 miles from the Isles of Scilly to Shetland, and planting dates vary significantly by region. The single biggest factor is your local last frost date — tender crops planted out before this date will almost certainly be killed. The table below gives typical last frost and first frost dates by region, along with the growing season length and practical advice for adjusting the planting calendar.

These dates are averages — in any given year, frost can arrive earlier or later. Urban gardens benefit from the heat island effect and are typically 1–2 weeks ahead of surrounding countryside. Coastal areas are milder than inland valleys at the same latitude. Gardens at altitude (above 200 metres) should add an extra week to the adjustments above.

Know your exact frost dates: Use our frost date calculator to get a postcode-specific estimate of your local last and first frost dates. This is far more accurate than regional averages and takes elevation and local geography into account. Knowing your frost dates is the single most important piece of information for planning your vegetable garden.

If you are in a colder region, you can effectively extend your growing season by starting seeds indoors on a warm windowsill or in a heated propagator from February, using cloches and horticultural fleece to protect young plants outdoors, and growing in a greenhouse or polytunnel for tender crops like tomatoes and peppers. Even a simple cold frame (from around £30) can add 4–6 weeks to your growing season.

How to Use a Vegetable Planting Calendar

A vegetable planting calendar is the most useful tool a UK gardener can have. It takes the guesswork out of growing by telling you exactly what to do and when — but only if you understand the key terms and use it correctly. Here is a practical guide to getting the most from the interactive calendar above.

Understanding the Key Terms

The calendar uses four colour-coded activities. Here is what each one means in practice:

• Sow Indoors — Plant seeds into small pots or seed trays filled with seed compost, and keep them in a warm place (15–20°C) until they germinate and grow into small seedlings. A sunny south-facing windowsill, a heated propagator, or a greenhouse all work well. This gives tender crops a head start before conditions are warm enough outdoors.
• Sow Outdoors (Direct Sow) — Plant seeds directly into the ground where they will grow to maturity. Prepare the soil first by raking to a fine tilth (crumbly texture) and removing large stones. Make a shallow trench (called a drill) to the depth stated on the seed packet, space seeds as recommended, cover with soil, and water gently. Direct sowing works best for root crops like carrots and parsnips, which dislike being transplanted.
• Plant Out (Transplant) — Move a young plant that was started indoors or bought as a plug plant into its final outdoor growing position. Before planting out, you must harden off the seedling over 7–10 days by gradually exposing it to outdoor conditions — start with a few hours outside during the day, increasing daily until the plant can handle a full night outdoors. Never skip hardening off or your plants will suffer transplant shock.
• Harvest — Your crop is ready to pick and eat. Harvest times are approximate — check the crop regularly and pick when it looks and feels ready. Most vegetables taste best when harvested young and tender rather than left to grow enormous. Regular picking also encourages the plant to produce more.

Essential Equipment for Getting Started

You do not need expensive equipment to start growing vegetables. Here is the minimum kit for a beginner:

• Seed trays and small pots — for starting seeds indoors. Recycled yoghurt pots with drainage holes work perfectly.
• Seed compost — finer than multipurpose compost, designed for germination. A 20-litre bag costs around £4 and lasts months.
• A hand trowel and fork — for planting out and weeding. Buy decent ones (£10–15) and they will last decades.
• A watering can with a rose attachment — for gentle watering of seedlings without washing seeds away.
• Plant labels — essential for knowing what you sowed where. Lollipop sticks work as a free alternative.
• Horticultural fleece — for protecting tender plants from late frosts. A 10-metre roll costs about £5 and is reusable for years.
• A soil thermometer — around £5 and invaluable for knowing when the soil is warm enough to sow outdoors.

As you gain experience, you might add a cold frame, a greenhouse, or raised beds. Use our raised bed calculator to work out how much soil and compost you need to fill new beds, or our soil calculator for larger areas.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

These are the mistakes that trip up beginners most often — and they are all easy to avoid once you know about them:

1. Sowing too early. Enthusiasm is great, but seeds sown into cold, waterlogged soil will rot rather than grow. Wait until the soil temperature is right for the crop — the calendar shows the correct months, but let your soil thermometer have the final say.
2. Not hardening off. Seedlings grown on a warm windowsill cannot cope with outdoor conditions overnight. Harden them off gradually over 7–10 days. Skipping this step causes transplant shock, wilting, and often death of the plant.
3. Sowing everything at once. If you sow all your lettuce in one go, you will get 30 lettuces ready on the same day. Sow a short row every 2–3 weeks instead (succession sowing) for a continuous harvest over months.
4. Overcrowding. It is tempting to squeeze in as many plants as possible, but overcrowded crops compete for light, water, and nutrients. They grow poorly, attract disease, and produce smaller harvests. Follow the spacing on the seed packet.
5. Forgetting to water. Young plants and seedlings need consistent moisture. Containers dry out fastest and may need watering twice a day in hot weather. An inconsistent water supply causes bolting in lettuce, blossom end rot in tomatoes, and splitting in carrots.

Where to Buy Seeds & Plants in the UK

Four supplier categories cover most UK home gardeners' needs. Amazon UK is the convenience option — Prime delivery and broad seed-collection sets, useful when you want to start a garden in a single order. B&Q and Wilko stock seasonal seeds in-store, which is the fastest route if you need a packet today. Thompson & Morgan and Mr Fothergill's are the specialists — 500+ varieties including heritage, F1, and dwarf cultivars not stocked by mass retailers. BBC Gardeners' World magazine is the wildcard pick: each monthly issue carries an exclusive 2-for-1 garden-entry card that pays for the magazine on a single visit, so it doubles as a seasonal-inspiration buy and an annual day-out subsidy.

Specialist suppliers consistently win on germination rate and varietal accuracy in independent tests. Mass retailers win on convenience and price-per-packet. For high-value crops you'll grow for the whole season (tomatoes, sweetcorn, runner beans) the specialist route is worth the extra few quid; for short-cycle salads and radishes where you'll sow a fresh packet every fortnight, the supermarket-aisle option is fine.

Postage thresholds matter — Thompson & Morgan free postage starts at £30, Mr Fothergill's at £25, so pool one large order with a fellow allotmenteer rather than splitting two small ones.

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