Gardening in the northern regions of USDA zones 2-4 presents unique challenges and rewards. With shorter growing seasons and colder temperatures, successful vegetable gardening requires careful planning and timing. This monthly vegetable gardening calendar for USDA Zones 2-4 guides you through the entire gardening year, helping you maximize your harvests despite the climate constraints.
Northern gardeners face frost dates that can extend from September to May, leaving a precious window for outdoor growing. However, with proper preparation and season-extension techniques, you can cultivate a surprising variety of vegetables even in these challenging conditions. From cold-hardy greens to root vegetables and selected warm-season crops, your northern garden can yield abundant harvests with the right approach.
This month by month guide is designed specifically for the realities of zones 2-4, where traditional gardening advice often falls short. We’ll cover when to start seeds indoors, optimal planting times for direct sowing, maintenance schedules throughout the growing season, and harvesting timelines. You’ll also find guidance on season extension methods like row covers, cold frames, and hoop houses that can add weeks or even months to your growing season.
This monthly vegetable gardening calendar for USDA Zones 2-4 provides the framework for transforming your cold-climate plot into a productive and satisfying vegetable garden.
This guide goes hand in hand with our vegetable gardening guide for USDA zones 2-4. That guide provides the information you need on sowing, planting and harvesting over 40 vegetables, on a vegetable by vegetable basis, tailored to conditions in USDA Zones 2-4.
January
Indoor Activities:
- Plan garden layout and order seeds
- Inventory and repair tools and equipment
- Set up grow lights for February seed starting
- Start onion seeds indoors at the end of month (zones 3-4 only)
February
Sow Indoors:
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Leeks
- Onions
- Peppers (end of month)
- Tomatoes (end of month, for early varieties)
Indoor Activities:
- Start seed germination tests
- Clean and sanitize seed trays and pots
- Begin hardening off overwintered plants (zone 4 only)
March
Sow Indoors:
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Spring)
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Lettuce (for transplants)
- Onions (finish sowing)
- Peppers (Sweet & Chilli)
- Tomatoes
Outdoor Activities:
- Set up cold frames
- Test soil temperature and pH
- Apply compost to beds as soil thaws
- Prune fruit trees and bushes before buds break
April
Sow Indoors:
- Broccoli (final sowings)
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy for fall)
- Cauliflower (Fall)
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Melons
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Sweet Corn (in biodegradable pots)
Sow Outdoors (as soon as soil can be worked):
- Broad Beans
- Carrots (under row cover)
- Chard
- Kale
- Lettuce (under row cover)
- Onion sets
- Parsnips
- Peas
- Radish
- Spinach (under row cover)
- Turnips
Plant Outdoors:
- Garlic (if not fall-planted)
- Potatoes (late month, when soil reaches 45°F)
Harvest:
- Overwintered spinach or kale (zone 4 with protection)
May
Sow Indoors:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – for fall harvest
- Cauliflower (Fall)
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot
- Carrots
- Chard
- French/Runner Beans (late month, when soil is warm)
- Kale
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce (succession sowings)
- Peas (succession sowings)
- Radish (succession sowings)
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Swedes (Rutabaga)
- Turnips
Transplant (after danger of frost):
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Cabbage (Spring)
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Lettuce
- Onions
Harvest:
- Asparagus (zone 4)
- Lettuce (early plantings under protection)
- Radish
- Rhubarb
- Spring Onions
- Spinach (early sowings)
June
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot (succession sowings)
- Broccoli (for fall harvest)
- Carrots (succession sowings)
- Chard
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini) – direct sow
- Cucumbers – direct sow
- French/Runner Beans
- Kale (for fall/winter)
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce (succession sowings, choose heat-tolerant varieties)
- Peas (final sowings, choose heat-tolerant varieties)
- Pumpkins/Squash – direct sow
- Radish (succession sowings)
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
- Sweet Corn
Transplant (all frost danger passed):
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy for fall)
- Cauliflower (Fall)
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Leeks
- Melons
- Peppers (Sweet & Chilli)
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes
Harvest:
- Asparagus (final harvests)
- Lettuce
- Peas (early varieties)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Turnips (early sowings)
July
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot (final sowings for fall crop)
- Carrots (final sowings for fall crop)
- Kale (final sowings for fall/winter crop)
- Kohl Rabi (final sowings)
- Lettuce (succession sowings)
- Radish (succession sowings)
- Rocket (succession sowings)
- Spinach (for fall harvest)
- Spring Onions (final sowings)
- Turnips (for fall crop)
Transplant:
- Broccoli (for fall harvest, final chance)
- Cabbage (fall varieties, final chance)
- Cauliflower (fall varieties, final chance)
Harvest:
- Beetroot (early sowings)
- Broad Beans
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – early plantings
- Cabbage (Spring)
- Carrots (early varieties)
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Garlic (when tops begin to yellow)
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce
- New Potatoes (early varieties)
- Peas
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
- Summer Squash
- Turnips
August
Sow Outdoors:
- Lettuce (cold-hardy varieties for fall)
- Radish (final sowings)
- Rocket (final sowings)
- Spinach (for fall and overwinter in zone 4 with protection)
- Spring Onions (final sowings for fall use)
Harvest:
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Beetroot
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Celeriac (early varieties)
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Kale
- Kohl Rabi
- Leeks (baby leeks)
- Lettuce
- Melons
- Onions (when tops fall over)
- Peas (final harvests)
- Peppers
- Potatoes (mid-season varieties)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Sweet Corn (early varieties)
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
September
Outdoor Activities:
- Begin preparing beds for next season
- Collect seeds from open-pollinated varieties
- Plant cover crops in harvested areas
- Apply row covers for frost protection
Harvest:
- Aubergine (Eggplant) – final harvests
- Beetroot (store for winter)
- Broccoli (fall crop)
- Cabbage (Summer and early fall varieties)
- Carrots (main crop, store for winter)
- Cauliflower (Fall)
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini) – final harvests
- Cucumbers – final harvests
- French/Runner Beans – final harvests
- Kale
- Kohl Rabi
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Onions (cure for storage)
- Parsnips (after frost for sweetest flavor)
- Peppers – final harvests
- Potatoes (maincrop, store for winter)
- Pumpkins/Squash (before hard frost)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Swedes (Rutabaga)
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes – final harvests before frost
- Turnips
October
Outdoor Activities:
- Plant garlic for next year’s harvest
- Apply compost to beds
- Mulch perennial vegetables
- Prepare cold frames for extending harvest season
Plant Outdoors:
- Garlic (before ground freezes)
Harvest:
- Broccoli (fall crop, final harvests)
- Brussels Sprouts (improved by frost)
- Cabbage (fall varieties)
- Carrots (final harvest, store for winter)
- Cauliflower (Fall, final harvests)
- Celeriac (main harvest)
- Celery (final harvests)
- Kale (continues after frost)
- Leeks
- Lettuce (final harvest, cold-hardy varieties)
- Parsnips (after frost for best flavor)
- Pumpkins/Winter Squash (before hard frost)
- Rocket (final harvests)
- Spinach (fall crop)
- Swedes (Rutabaga)
- Turnips (store for winter)
November
Outdoor Activities:
- Final garden cleanup
- Protect perennial vegetables with deep mulch
- Store tools and equipment for winter
- Apply winter protection to sensitive plants
Harvest:
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (fall varieties, final harvests)
- Kale (until covered by snow)
- Leeks (until ground freezes)
- Parsnips (final harvest or heavily mulch for winter)
December
Indoor Activities:
- Review garden journal notes from the past season
- Plan next year’s garden layout and crop rotation
- Inventory seeds and place orders for next season
- Check stored vegetables and remove any showing signs of rot
Harvest:
- Kale (with protection, zones 3-4 only)
- Leeks (with protection, zone 4 only)
- Root vegetables (from storage)
Vegetable Gardening Guide Resources
Martin Cole has been an avid plant lover and gardener for more than 20 years and loves to talk and write about gardening. In 2006 he was a finalist in the BBC Gardener of the Year competition. He is a member of the National dahlia Society.
He previously lived in London and Sydney, Australia, where he took a diploma course in Horticultural studies and is now based in North Berwick in Scotland. He founded GardeningStepbyStep.com in 2012. The website is aimed at everybody who loves plants or has been bitten by the gardening bug and wants to know more.
Gardening Step by Step has been cited by Thompson and Morgan, the UK’s largest mail order plant retailer, as a website that publishes expert gardening content.