We’ve compiled some special vegetable gardening resources for gardeners in the UK and the various USDA zones in the USA.
We have two different resources for each area:
- Vegetable gardening guides – These cover over 40 different vegetables (selected for suitability for the different regions) and include details of when to sow, transplant, plant and harvest each vegetable, as well as growing tips and advice.
- Vegetable garden calendars – These step you through the year on a month by month basis with guidance on what to do, sow, plant and harvest in each month.
So, if you want to know which vegetables to sow in April, check the calendar for your area.
If you want to know when to harvest carrots check the guide.
Not in the USA or the UK? We have you covered.
Go to our post on global plant hardiness zones. There you can find USDA plant hardiness zones equivalents for regions in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Netherlands, France, Belgium and India.
You can then find the equivalent USDA zone for you region and use the guide and calendar for that USDA zone to base your vegetable growing plans on.
Here are the vegetable gardening guides and calendars for your area.
Click through to read them and you will also get an option to download handy printable versions.
UK Vegetable Gardening
UK Vegetable Gardening Calendar
USDA Zones 2-4 Vegetable Gardening
USDA Zones 2-4 Vegetable Gardening Guide
USDA Zones 2-4 Vegetable Gardening Calendar
USDA Zones 5-6 Vegetable Gardening
USDA Zones 5-6 Vegetable Gardening Guide
USDA Zones 5-6 Vegetable Gardening Calendar
USDA Zones 7-8 Vegetable Gardening
USDA Zones 7-8 Vegetable Gardening Guide
USDA Zones 7-8 Vegetable Gardening Calendar
USDA Zones 9-10 Vegetable Gardening
USDA Zones 9-10 Vegetable Gardening Guide
USDA Zones 9-10 Vegetable Gardening Calendar
USDA Zones 11-13 Vegetable Gardening
USDA Zones 11-13 Vegetable Gardening Guide
USDA Zones 11-13 Vegetable Gardening Calendar
Hardiness Zones
For the USDA Hardiness Zone map, details of UK Hardiness ratings, and full details about what plant hardiness is and what it means in practice see:
Plant hardiness zones and plant hardiness in the USA and UK
The Value of Comprehensive Vegetable Gardening Guides for Every Climate
Navigating the when, where, and how of vegetable gardening can feel overwhelming, especially when most gardening advice seems to assume you live in a “perfect” growing climate. The truth is, successful vegetable gardening is deeply local—what works in Minnesota won’t necessarily work in Georgia, and what thrives in California will struggle in Scotland.
I realised that what gardeners needed most was region-specific guides that understand the unique challenges and opportunities of different climate zones. That’s why I’ve compiled these comprehensive vegetable planting guides tailored to specific hardiness zones in the USA and UK.
Whether you’re dealing with the prolonged winters of Zones 2-4, the moderate seasons of Zones 5-6, or the extended growing windows of Zones 7-8, these calendars provide precise timing for everything from indoor seed starting to final harvest.
What makes these guides different? First, they’re designed with real-world gardeners in mind. You won’t just find planting dates—you’ll discover variety recommendations specifically chosen for your climate’s conditions, succession planting strategies to maximize your harvests, and practical tips for extending your growing season. Each vegetable entry includes detailed information on when to sow indoors, when to direct sow, optimal transplanting windows, and expected harvest periods.
For cooler regions, we’ve focused on cold-hardy varieties and techniques for getting the most out of a shorter growing season. For temperate zones, you’ll find balanced advice on maximising the traditional growing window while pushing its boundaries with season extension. And for warmer regions, these guides embrace the opportunity for multiple plantings throughout the year, including fall and winter growing cycles that many gardeners overlook.
What struck me most while creating these resources was how dramatically gardening potential changes across just a few hardiness zones. Zone 7-8 gardeners can often grow two full crops of cabbage, while Zone 2-4 gardeners must carefully select fast-maturing varieties for their single growing window. Zone 5-6 gardeners might consider garlic a strictly fall-planted crop, while those in cooler regions often find success with spring planting.
Hopefully, therefore, these guides offer a solid foundation for planning your vegetable garden. Use them as starting points, experiment with the recommendations, and adapt them to your specific microclimate. The best gardening knowledge always comes from combining trusted guidance with your own observations.
So explore these guides, mark your calendar, and prepare for your most productive vegetable garden yet. Remember that gardening is both science and art—these calendars provide the science, but your experience and intuition will add the artistry.
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.