Journal/Vegetable Garden · 6 min
When to Plant Vegetables: A Month-by-Month Calendar
A month-by-month guide to sowing and planting popular vegetables — indoor starts, direct sows and transplants.
Quick answer
In a temperate climate: start tomatoes and peppers indoors in February. Sow salads and roots direct from March. Plant tender crops out after the last frost in May–June. Sow winter crops in July–September.
Every seed packet has a sowing window. The mistake most beginners make is sowing everything in April — then wondering why nothing's ready together. A staggered calendar spreads both the work and the harvest.
The calendar at a glance
Temperate-climate sowing calendar
| Month | Indoors | Direct sow | Plant out |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Onions from seed, chillies | — | — |
| February | Tomatoes, peppers, aubergines | Broad beans | Garlic (late) |
| March | Courgettes, cucumbers | Carrots, radishes, lettuce, spinach, peas | Onion sets, early potatoes |
| April | Sweetcorn, squash | More carrots, beetroot, salad | Chitted potatoes |
| May | — | Beans, more salad | Tomatoes (end of month, indoors/greenhouse) |
| June | — | Successional salad, beans | All tender crops outdoors |
| July | — | Autumn salad, spring cabbage | Leeks |
| August | — | Winter salad, spinach | Strawberry runners |
| September | — | Overwintering onions, garlic (hardneck) | Spring cabbage |
| October | — | Broad beans (autumn sow) | Garlic |
The one rule that matters most
Know your last frost date and count backwards. Tender crops (tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, beans) cannot go outside until it has passed — 8 weeks before that date is when you start them indoors.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my last frost date?
Your national weather service publishes it. For most of the UK it's mid-April to mid-May; for northern US it's mid-May; further south it can be as early as March.
Can I sow everything at once in April?
You can, but you'll get a glut in one month and nothing before or after. Stagger salad and beans every 2–3 weeks for a rolling harvest.
What can I sow in winter?
Very little outdoors — but you can start onions and chillies indoors in January, and sow broad beans direct in November for an early spring crop.
About the author
Vegetable Garden & Seasons
Arthur has worked the same allotment for thirty years and measures the calendar in sowings, not months. He writes practical, no-nonsense guides to growing food and keeping a garden honest through the seasons — and has little patience for folklore that doesn't survive contact with a real plot.
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