Vegetable garden

Grow your own supper.

Twelve of the most rewarding crops for beds, raised planters and containers — with real sowing dates, spacing, and the honest answers to what usually goes wrong.

Sow this month: lettuce, carrots.

Tomatoes growing in a garden

Moderate

Pot-friendly

Tomatoes

Solanum lycopersicum

🌱 Sow indoors Feb–Apr, transplant after last frost

Bell Peppers growing in a garden

Moderate

Pot-friendly

Bell Peppers

Capsicum annuum

🌱 Sow indoors Jan–Mar, transplant after last frost

Lettuce growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

🌱 Sow direct Mar–Sep, every 2–3 weeks

Carrots growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Carrots

Daucus carota

🌱 Sow direct Mar–Jul

Zucchini growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Zucchini

Cucurbita pepo

🌱 Sow indoors Apr–May, plant out Jun

Cucumbers growing in a garden

Moderate

Pot-friendly

Cucumbers

Cucumis sativus

🌱 Sow indoors Apr–May, plant out Jun

Onions growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Onions

Allium cepa

🌱 Plant sets Mar–Apr; overwintering sets Sep–Oct

Garlic growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Garlic

Allium sativum

🌱 Plant cloves Oct–Nov (hardneck) or Feb–Mar (softneck)

Potatoes growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Potatoes

Solanum tuberosum

🌱 Chit Feb, plant Mar–Apr

Strawberries growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Strawberries

Fragaria × ananassa

🌱 Plant runners Mar–Apr or Aug–Sep

Basil growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

🌱 Sow indoors Mar–Jun

Spinach growing in a garden

Easy

Pot-friendly

Spinach

Spinacia oleracea

🌱 Sow direct Feb–Apr and Aug–Sep