UK Growing Calendar

Follow the weather

Southern and sheltered gardens often warm sooner. Northern, upland and exposed sites may need a later start; a coastal garden can differ from one just inland. Cold, wet springs can delay sowing anywhere.

Wait for workable soil: do not sow or plant into frozen or waterlogged ground. Harden off indoor-grown seedlings before moving them outside.

Tender crops: runner beans, courgettes and outdoor tomatoes must wait until local frost risk has passed and conditions are warm. May planting means late May in suitable areas; June is often safer in colder gardens. Protection extends the season but does not guarantee frost safety.

Read the crop windows

Harvests come from earlier sowings. Winter kale and leeks were established in the previous growing season. Several sowings and appropriate early or late varieties are needed to cover a long harvest window.

March lettuce planting needs cloches for an early crop. August lettuce sowings need suitable varieties and may need cover later. For radishes, pause during hot, dry spells; the row shows salad radishes, not winter types.

Potatoes are planted as tubers: earlies usually go in during late March, with maincrops in April to early May. Garlic planting in February–March requires a spring-suitable variety; autumn planting uses suitable overwintering varieties.

Check seed packets for exact variety timings. Early carrots under cloches, winter salads, later leek sowings and greenhouse tomatoes can extend these basic windows.