When to plant vegetables: a guide to sowing and harvesting vegetables

Sowing Vegetables

Some veg can be sown directly outside but others can be sown a little earlier indoors with a bit of heat or in a greenhouse.

Always check the seed packet label instructions about when to sow but also check the weather forecast, especially if sowing outdoors as the soil may be too cold to start sowing. A handy tip is to cover the soil with some black plastic or horticultural fleece 2 weeks before sowing outdoors to help warm the soil up.

Most veg are sown in Spring (March to May) although some such as broad beans and sweet peas can be sown in the autumn. 

If you sow tender veg like pumpkins, courgettes and tomatoes indoors with heat then they will need to be acclimatised to outside temperatures before planting out in their permanent positions. This process is called hardening off and happens after the last frosts in your area and involves placing the plants in a sheltered spot outside during the day and bringing them back in again at night.

Harvesting

Each veg is different as to when they can be harvested, so again, always check the seed packet. Some veg such as radish, rocket and spinach are really quick to grow and are often best harvested when they are still fairly small, but other vegetables like leeks and cabbages can be harvested early into the following year.

Peas and beans are often best harvested before they get too long and stringy and sweetcorn needs to be harvested when the tassels turn brown and you push your thumb into a kernel and a milky sap comes out.

Follow the guide below to help you know when to sow, plant out and harvest your crops.

Read the detailed planner below for a breakdown of which vegetables require sowing, moving and harvesting, and at which points of the year (click on a crop for detailed growing information).

⬤ = Sow inside (on a window sill, unheated greenhouse, coldframe)
⬤ = Sow outside (direct into prepared garden soil)
⬤ = Move outside (when conditions are favourable)
⬤ = Harvest (when ready)

This vegetable planner has been created as a guide and does not take into account regional, or seasonal weather variations. Ensure that the risk of frost and cold weather has passed before planting/sowing any frost-sensitive crops.