I’ve created a comprehensive monthly vegetable gardening calendar for UK gardens and gardeners.
It goes hand-in-hand with our UK vegetable gardening guide, which lists the growing information by vegetable, rather than by month as in this post.
This monthly calendar reflects the typical British growing season, which has the following relevant characteristics:
- The UK growing season generally starts a bit later and ends earlier than teh season in warmer parts of Europe and the USA, due to cooler temperatures and less sunshine.
- Many crops that can be directly sown early in warmer regions need protection (cloches, fleece) or indoor starting in the UK (especially northern parts).
- Overwintering crops are particularly important in the UK gardening calendar.
- The UK calendar puts greater emphasis on succession planting to maximize the shorter growing season.
Each month listed below includes clear sections for:
- What to sow indoors
- What to sow outdoors
- What to transplant
- What to harvest
The calendar follows the natural rhythm of the UK gardening year:
- Winter months focus on planning, limited indoor sowing, and harvesting hardy winter vegetables
- Spring brings increasing activity with protected sowings and early plantings
- Summer is peak growing and harvesting season
- Autumn transitions to harvesting storage crops and establishing overwintering vegetables
This UK-specific calendar should help UK gardeners plan their vegetable garden throughout the year, making the most of Britain’s growing conditions.
January
Sow Indoors:
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Leeks
- Onions
- Peppers (Sweet & Chilli)
- Tomatoes
Harvest:
- Brussels Sprouts
- Kale
- Leeks
- Parsnips (left in ground from previous year)
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli (if mild winter)
February
Sow Indoors:
- Aubergine (Eggplant)
- Celeriac
- Lettuce (under cloche)
- Onions (finish indoor sowing)
- Peppers (Sweet & Chilli)
- Tomatoes
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans
- Peas (1st Earlies, under protection)
- Radish (under cloche)
- Spinach (under protection)
Plant Outdoors:
- Garlic (if autumn planting was missed)
- Potatoes (first earlies, under protection)
Harvest:
- Brussels Sprouts
- Kale
- Leeks
- Parsnips (from previous year)
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli (starting late February)
March
Sow Indoors:
- Aubergine (Eggplant) – final sowings
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Celery
- Cucumbers (greenhouse varieties)
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Onions (outdoors)
- Peppers (Sweet & Chilli) – final sowings
- Tomatoes – final sowings
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot (under cloches)
- Broad Beans
- Carrots (under protection)
- Chard
- Lettuce
- Onions (sets and seeds)
- Parsnips
- Peas (1st Earlies and 2nd Earlies/Maincrop)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Turnips
Transplant:
- Peas (if started in pots)
Harvest:
- Cabbage (Spring)
- Kale
- Leeks
- Parsnips (from previous year)
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli
April
Sow Indoors:
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Red/Savoy)
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Melons
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Sweet Corn
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot
- Broad Beans – final sowings
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting) – start sowing
- Carrots
- Chard
- Kale
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce
- Peas (all types)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Turnips
Transplant:
- Beetroot (from modules)
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – early sowings
- Cabbage (Summer) – early sowings
- Cauliflower (Summer) – early sowings
- Lettuce
- Onions (from indoor starts)
- Peas (if started in pots)
Harvest:
- Cabbage (Spring)
- Lettuce (early sowings under protection)
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli
- Radish (early sowings)
- Spring Onions (overwintered)
May
Sow Indoors:
- Cauliflower (Winter)
- French/Runner Beans
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower (Winter)
- Chard
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- French/Runner Beans
- Kale
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce
- Peas (2nd Earlies/Maincrop)
- Pumpkins/Squash
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Swedes
- Turnips
Transplant:
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Brussels Sprouts – early sowings
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Celeriac
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- Lettuce
- Onions (from indoor starts)
- Peppers (Sweet & Chilli)
- Tomatoes (after frost)
Harvest:
- Asparagus
- Cabbage (Spring) – final harvests
- Lettuce (early sowings)
- Peas (autumn-sown, early varieties)
- Purple Sprouting Broccoli – final harvests
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
June
Sow Outdoors:
- Beetroot – final sowings
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting) – final sowings
- Carrots
- Chard
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini) – final sowings
- French/Runner Beans – final sowings
- Kale
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce
- Peas (2nd Earlies/Maincrop) – final sowings
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
- Turnips
Transplant:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting)
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Autumn/Winter)
- Cauliflower (Winter)
- Celeriac – final plantings
- Celery – final plantings
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Melons (under protection)
Harvest:
- Beetroot (early sowings)
- Broad Beans (autumn-sown)
- Cabbage (Summer) – earliest varieties
- Carrots (early sowings)
- Cauliflower (Summer) – early varieties
- Lettuce
- Peas (early varieties)
- Potatoes (first earlies)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
July
Sow Outdoors:
- Carrots – final sowings
- Chard – final sowings
- Kohl Rabi – final sowings
- Lettuce
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
- Turnips
Transplant:
- Broccoli (Purple Sprouting) – final plantings
- Brussels Sprouts – final plantings
- Cabbage (Autumn/Winter) – final plantings
- Cauliflower (Winter) – final plantings
- Kale
- Leeks – final plantings
Harvest:
- Beetroot
- Broad Beans
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Celery – early varieties
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Garlic
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce
- Onions (Japanese overwintering varieties)
- Peas
- Potatoes (early varieties)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
- Tomatoes – starting
August
Sow Outdoors:
- Cabbage (Spring) – for next year
- Lettuce – final sowings
- Radish
- Rocket – final sowings
- Spinach (for autumn crop)
- Spring Onions – final sowings
- Turnips – for autumn harvest
Transplant:
- Cabbage (Spring) – for next year
Harvest:
- Beetroot
- Broccoli (Calabrese)
- Cabbage (Summer)
- Carrots
- Cauliflower (Summer)
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers
- French/Runner Beans
- Kohl Rabi
- Lettuce
- Melons
- Onions (main crop)
- Peas (maincrop)
- Potatoes (second earlies)
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spring Onions
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes
September
Sow Outdoors:
- Lettuce (under protection) – final sowings
- Rocket (under protection) – final sowings
- Spinach (under protection) – final sowings
- Spring Onions (under protection) – final sowings
Transplant:
- Cabbage (Spring) – for next year
Harvest:
- Beetroot
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – final harvests
- Cabbage (Summer) – final harvests
- Carrots
- Cauliflower (Summer) – final harvests
- Celery
- Courgettes/Marrows (Zucchini)
- Cucumbers – final harvests
- French/Runner Beans
- Kale – starting
- Kohl Rabi
- Leeks – starting
- Lettuce
- Onions – store maincrop
- Potatoes (maincrop)
- Pumpkins/Squash – starting
- Radish
- Rocket
- Spinach (autumn crop)
- Spring Onions
- Sweet Corn
- Tomatoes
October
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans (for overwintering in mild areas)
- Garlic
- Peas (hardy varieties, for overwintering in mild areas)
Transplant:
- Spring Cabbage (final chance)
Harvest:
- Beetroot – lift final crop
- Carrots – main harvest, store or leave some in ground
- Celeriac
- Celery – final harvests
- Chard
- French/Runner Beans – final harvests
- Kale
- Leeks
- Lettuce – final outdoor harvests
- Parsnips – start lifting
- Pumpkins/Squash – before frost
- Rocket – final harvests
- Spinach – autumn crop
- Swedes – start lifting
- Tomatoes – final harvests
- Turnips
November
Sow Outdoors:
- Broad Beans (in mild areas, for overwintering)
- Garlic – final planting
Harvest:
- Brussels Sprouts – starting
- Cabbage (Autumn/Winter)
- Carrots (stored in ground)
- Celeriac
- Chard – final harvests
- Kale
- Leeks
- Parsnips
- Spinach (autumn crop) – final harvests
- Swedes
December
Harvest:
- Brussels Sprouts
- Cabbage (Autumn/Winter)
- Carrots (stored in ground)
- Celeriac – final harvests
- Kale
- Leeks
- Parsnips
- Swedes
- Winter Cauliflower – starting
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.