This monthly vegetable gardening calendar for USDA zones 7–8 gives you a clear picture of exactly what gardening activities need to be done each month.
You should read the guide alongside our vegetable gardening guide for USDA zones 7-8. That guide provides the information you need on sowing, planting and harvesting, on a vegetable by vegetable basis, tailored to conditions in USDA Zones 7-8.
You’ll notice there’s a natural rhythm to the gardening year:
- Winter months (December-February) focus on planning, indoor seed starting for long-season crops, and harvesting overwintered vegetables
- Spring (March-May) is the busiest planting season with both indoor and outdoor sowings
- Summer (June-August) shifts toward harvesting early crops and starting fall plantings
- Fall (September-November) involves harvesting the main crops, planting overwintering vegetables, and preparing for the next season
The calendar accounts for succession planting and includes notes about when to finish sowing certain vegetables or when you’re harvesting the final crops from a particular planting.
January
Sow Indoors:
- Cabbage (Summer) – for summer harvest
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Celeriac
- Leeks
- Onions (seed)
- Peppers (Capsicum & Chilli)
- Tomatoes (in zones 8-9)
Plant Outdoors:
- Garlic (if fall planting was missed)
Harvest:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting) – from previous year’s planting
- Brussels Sprouts (if overwintered)
- Leeks (if overwintered)
- Parsnips (from previous year’s planting)
February
Sow Indoors:
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Leeks
- Melons
- Onions (seed, finish by early Feb)
- Peppers (Capsicum & Chilli)
- Peas (1st Earlies, under protection)
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans (Fava)
- Beetroot (Beets)
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – for spring crop
- Carrots
- Chard
- Kale (for spring)
- Lettuce
- Onions (seed)
- Parsnips
- Peas (1st Earlies and 2nd/Maincrop)
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Spinach
- Turnips
Plant Outdoors:
- Potatoes (earlies, in zones 8-9)
Transplant:
- Peas (1st Earlies, if started indoors)
Harvest:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Brussels Sprouts (if overwintered)
- Cabbage (Spring Greens)
- Leeks (if overwintered)
- Parsnips (from previous year’s planting)
March
Sow Indoors:
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – finish sowing for spring crop
- Brussels Sprouts (for fall crop)
- Cabbage (Summer) – finish sowing for summer harvest
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – for fall harvest
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Leeks
- Sweet Corn
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans (Fava) – finish sowing
- Beetroot (Beets)
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – for spring crop
- Carrots
- Chard
- Kale (for spring)
- Kohl Rabi
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Onions (finish sowing)
- Parsnips
- Peas (1st Earlies and 2nd/Maincrop)
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Spinach
- Swedes (Rutabaga)
- Sweet Corn
- Turnips
Plant Outdoors:
- Onions (sets)
- Potatoes (earlies and maincrop)
Transplant:
- Broad Beans (Fava) – if started indoors
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – spring seedlings
- Cabbage (Summer) – spring crop
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Onions (from indoor seedlings)
- Peas (1st Earlies, if started indoors)
- Tomatoes (in zone 9)
Harvest:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Cabbage (Spring Greens)
- Kale (overwintered)
- Lettuce (if sown in early spring)
- Radish (early sowings)
April
Sow Indoors:
- Brussels Sprouts (finish sowing for fall crop)
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – finish sowing for fall harvest
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Sweet Corn
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot (Beets) – finish sowing spring crop
- Carrots – finish main spring sowing
- Chard – finish spring sowing
- French/Runner Beans (after frost)
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce – finish spring sowing
- Parsnips – finish sowing
- Peas (2nd/Maincrop) – finish sowing for summer harvest
- Pumpkins/Squash (late April, after frost)
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Spinach – finish spring sowing
- Sweet Corn
- Turnips – finish spring sowing
Transplant:
- Aubergine (Eggplant) – after last frost
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – spring seedlings
- Cabbage (Summer) – spring crop
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini) – after frost
- Cucumbers – after frost
- Leeks
- Melons – after frost
- Peppers (Capsicum & Chilli) – after frost
- Pumpkins/Squash – after frost
- Sweet Corn (if started early)
- Tomatoes – after last frost
Harvest:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting) – last harvests
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – spring harvest
- Cabbage (Spring Greens)
- Kale (spring sown)
- Lettuce (early spring sowings)
- Peas (1st Earlies, spring sowings)
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Spinach (spring sowings)
- Turnips (early spring sowings)
May
Sow Outdoors:
- Carrots – final spring sowings
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini) – direct sow
- Cucumbers – direct sow
- French/Runner Beans
- Lettuce – final spring sowings
- Pumpkins/Squash – final sowings
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula) – final spring sowings
- Sweet Corn – final sowings
Transplant:
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Brussels Sprouts (for fall crop)
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – for fall harvest
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Leeks
- Melons
- Pumpkins/Squash
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – early spring sowings
- Broad Beans (Fava) – beginning of harvest
- Cabbage (Spring Greens) – final harvests
- Carrots (early spring sowings)
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Garlic (in zones 8-9)
- Kale (spring sown)
- Kohl Rabi (spring sowings)
- Lettuce
- Peas (1st Earlies and 2nd/Maincrop, spring sowings)
- Potatoes (earlies)
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Spinach
- Turnips (spring sowings)
June
Sow Indoors:
- Brussels Sprouts (for overwintering crop)
Sow Outdoors:
- French/Runner Beans – final sowings
- Radish
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – spring sowings
- Broad Beans (Fava)
- Carrots (spring sowings)
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Celery – early harvests
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Garlic
- Kohl Rabi (spring sowings)
- Lettuce
- Onions (early varieties)
- Peas (1st Earlies and 2nd/Maincrop)
- Potatoes (earlies)
- Radish
- Rocket (Arugula)
- Spinach – final spring harvests
- Sweet Corn (early varieties in zones 8-9)
- Tomatoes – first harvests
July
Sow Indoors:
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – for fall crop
Sow Outdoors:
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – for fall crop
- French/Runner Beans – final sowings
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – spring sowings, final harvests
- Broad Beans (Fava) – final harvests
- Carrots (spring sowings)
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Garlic – final harvests
- Kale (spring sown) – final harvests
- Onions
- Peas (2nd/Maincrop) – final harvests
- Potatoes (earlies and maincrop)
- Pumpkins/Squash – early varieties
- Swedes (Rutabaga) – spring-sown
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes
August
Sow Indoors:
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – finish sowing for fall crop
- Cauliflower (Winter)
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot (Beets) – for fall crop
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – finish sowing for fall crop
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Carrots – for fall crop
- Kale – for fall and winter
- Kohl Rabi – for fall
- Lettuce – for fall
- Peas (2nd/Maincrop) – for fall
- Radish – for fall
- Rocket (Arugula) – for fall
- Spinach – for fall
- Swedes (Rutabaga) – for winter
- Turnips – for fall
Transplant:
- Brussels Sprouts (for late sowing)
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – spring sowings
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – spring plantings, final harvests
- Carrots (spring sowings)
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Leeks – early harvests
- Melons
- Onions – main harvest
- Potatoes (maincrop)
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes
September
Sow Indoors:
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – for spring harvest
Sow Outdoors:
- Chard – for fall crop
- Kale – for fall and winter, final sowings
- Lettuce – for fall and winter
- Peas (1st Earlies) – for fall crop
- Radish – for fall
- Rocket (Arugula) – for fall
- Spinach – for fall and winter
- Turnips – for fall and winter
Transplant:
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – fall seedlings
- Cabbage (Summer) – fall crop
- Cauliflower (Winter)
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – summer sowings
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – spring plantings, final harvests
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini) – final harvests
- Cucumbers – final harvests
- French/Runner Beans
- Leeks
- Melons – final harvests
- Potatoes (maincrop)
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Sweet Corn – final harvests
- Tomatoes
October
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans (Fava) – for overwintering
- Radish – final fall sowings
- Rocket (Arugula) – final fall sowings
- Turnips – final fall sowings
Transplant:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Cabbage (Spring Greens)
Plant Outdoors:
- Garlic – fall planting
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – fall crop
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – fall plantings
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – fall harvest
- Carrots – fall crop
- Celery – final harvests
- Chard – fall crop
- French/Runner Beans – final harvests
- Kale – fall crop
- Kohl Rabi – fall crop
- Leeks
- Lettuce – fall crop
- Parsnips – start of main harvest
- Peas (2nd/Maincrop) – fall sowings
- Pumpkins/Squash – final harvests
- Radish – fall sowings
- Rocket (Arugula) – fall sowings
- Spinach – fall sowings
- Tomatoes – final harvests
- Turnips – fall crop
November
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans (Fava) – final sowings for overwintering
Transplant:
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – for spring harvest, if climate permits
Plant Outdoors:
- Garlic – final fall planting
Harvest:
- Beetroot (Beets) – fall crop, final harvests
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – fall plantings
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – fall harvest
- Cabbage (Summer) – fall sowing
- Carrots – fall crop, final harvests
- Cauliflower (Winter)
- Chard – fall crop
- Kale – fall and winter crop
- Kohl Rabi – fall crop, final harvests
- Leeks
- Lettuce – fall crop
- Parsnips
- Peas (1st Earlies) – fall sowing
- Radish – fall sowings, final harvests
- Rocket (Arugula) – fall sowings
- Spinach – fall sowings
- Swedes (Rutabaga) – fall crop
- Turnips – fall crop
December
Sow Indoors:
- Onions (seed) – for next year
- Peppers (Capsicum & Chilli) – for next year (zone 9)
- Tomatoes – for next year (zone 9)
Harvest:
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy) – fall harvest, final harvests
- Cabbage (Summer) – fall sowing, final harvests
- Cauliflower (Winter) – final harvests
- Chard – fall crop
- Kale – winter crop
- Leeks
- Lettuce – fall crop, final harvests
- Parsnips
- Radish – fall sowings, final harvests
- Rocket (Arugula) – fall sowings, final harvests
- Spinach – fall sowings, final harvests
- Swedes (Rutabaga) – winter harvest
- Turnips – fall crop, final harvests
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.