What to plant each month: a UK gardening calendar
Knowing when to plant is half the battle in a UK garden. This month-by-month guide gives you the headline jobs — what to sow, what to plant out, and what you'll be harvesting — so you're always working with the seasons, not against them.
🌱 Spring (March – May)
March
The season wakes up. Sow hardy veg like broad beans, peas, carrots, beetroot and salad leaves outdoors under cover. Start tomatoes, chillies and aubergines on a warm windowsill indoors. Plant onion sets, shallots and early potatoes (chit them first).
April
A busy month. Sow beetroot, leeks, lettuce, radish, spinach and herbs. Plant maincrop potatoes. Sow hardy annual flowers directly where they'll grow. Keep an eye out for late frosts and protect tender seedlings.
May
After the last frost, harden off and plant out tender crops — tomatoes, courgettes, beans, pumpkins and sweetcorn. Sow French and runner beans direct. Everything's growing fast now, so keep on top of weeds and watering. Start harvesting asparagus, rhubarb and early salads.
☀️ Summer (June – August)
June
Plant out any remaining tender veg. Sow quick crops like salad, beetroot and carrots for a steady supply. Pinch out tomato side-shoots and keep beds well watered. Strawberries, early potatoes and broad beans are ready to pick.
July
Peak harvest begins — courgettes, beans, cucumbers, early tomatoes, currants and raspberries. Keep sowing salad and sow spring cabbage for next year. Water containers daily in hot spells and feed fruiting crops weekly.
August
Gluts everywhere — pick courgettes and beans regularly to keep them producing. Harvest tomatoes, sweetcorn, onions and the first apples and plums. Sow over-wintering salads and Oriental greens. A perfect time to sell or swap your surplus.
🍂 Autumn (September – November)
September
The harvest rolls on — maincrop potatoes, squash, beans, apples and pears. Sow over-wintering broad beans, garlic and hardy salad leaves. Plant spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils and crocus.
October
Lift and store maincrop potatoes and squashes before the frosts. Plant garlic and onion sets for next year, and tulip bulbs now. Clear spent crops and start adding compost or mulch to empty beds.
November
The garden winds down. Plant bare-root fruit trees and bushes while they're dormant. Harvest leeks, parsnips, kale, Brussels sprouts and winter cabbage. Tidy up, but leave some seed heads for the birds.
❄️ Winter (December – February)
December
A quiet month — harvest hardy winter veg like sprouts, parsnips, leeks and kale. Plan next year's beds, order seeds, and clean and sharpen your tools. Protect tender plants from hard frosts.
January
The gardener's planning month. Browse seed catalogues, chit nothing yet but get organised, and sow a few early crops like onions and chillies indoors with warmth. Force rhubarb for an early treat.
February
The first stirrings of spring. Chit seed potatoes on a bright windowsill. Sow broad beans, early salads and tomatoes under cover. Prune apple and pear trees while dormant. Cut back to make room for the new season.
Never miss the right moment 📅
GROW builds a planting calendar around your garden and location, then nudges you when it's time to sow, plant and harvest each crop. Join the waitlist to grow in sync with the seasons.
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