Seed Sowing Calendar.
It might feel daunting to start with your first vegetable garden: When exactly should you sow, plant or harvest your seeds? From experience, I know a bit of planning and looking ahead can be quite useful.
To make it easier to start, I have created a sowing and harvesting calendar for the organic seeds we offer on Organic Gardener. In this blog post you will find growing advice and a helpful planner for seeds to sow indoors in a greenhouse, polytunnel or windowsill or outdoors in open ground or pots.
January
This month is still cold, with chances of snowfall and ground frost. You will have to wait a while for many crops, but in January you can already start pre-sowing indoors or under glass with spinach, peppers, cabbage.
The best way to do this is on a warm and light windowsill or polytunnel with a temperature between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. In January, you can also harvest last year’s winter vegetables.
Pre-sowing peppers in January can be daunting, and sometimes it is better to wait until February, as the days are still short in January and pepper needs lots of light.
If you are desperate to start in January, it’s best to sow in a propagator on a warm windowsill or conservatory, so the seedlings will receive enough light and won’t become long, thin sprigs.
Seeds to Sow in January
February
In February, you can sow greenhouse crops such as tomatoes, peas, broad beans, aubergines, radishes, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, leeks, cauliflower, peppers, Brussels sprouts, melons and cucumbers. It is best to do this on a windowsill. You can pre-sow both herbs and vegetable crops in containers and pots on the windowsill. Just be careful not to plant too many seeds on top of each other, otherwise you will have to repot the seedlings soon.
While the soil is slowly warming up, now is the time to sow onion, parsnip and winter spinach directly outside and to harvest the last hardy vegetables. Crops such as cabbages tend to bolt more quickly, and will taste increasingly bitter as time passes.
Tip: Sow beans deep enough. Mice and pigeons love the seeds and dig them out. A handy solution: pre-sow them at home and later plant them out in your vegetable garden.
Seeds to Sow in February
March
The following crops can already be sown directly in the vegetable garden in March: Brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips, chard, spinach, cress, autumn and winter onions, carrots, marrows, peas, oregano and leeks.
The following seeds can be pre-sown on a windowsill in March: Tomato, endive, aubergine, chervil, cucumber, broccoli, brassicas, peppers, peppers, parsley, purslane and leeks.
Use a propagator or sowing pots for windowsill gardening, Our biodegradable pots are very useful, as you can plant them straight in the soil as soon as they are ready to transplant.
Some harvesting can be done, like early sown spinach, first rhubarb stalks, lettuce.
Seeds to Sow in March
April
April is the month in which lots of seeds can be sown outdoors, as the days are longer and warmer. Tender crops like courgettes and runner beans will still need to be sown in a glasshouse or polytunnel. Examples of seeds to sow in April:
- Beetroots
- Broccoli
- Red cabbage
- Sweet Corn
- Parsley
- Celeriac
- Courgette
- Runner Beans
- Antirrinhum
- Kale
- Cucumber
Seeds to Sow in April
May
Sensitive crops such as aubergines, peppers and tomatoes can be planted out in a cold greenhouse or open ground. Before transplanting them outdoors, you should keep them in the greenhouse for a few weeks first to acclimatise.
Some crops might need some extra support. Peas need netting or wooden sticks to climb against. Garden beans can be tied to sticks with garden twine.
There is still plenty to sow in the garden such as beetroots, late peas, carrots, broccoli, lettuce, radishes, rocket, tubers and spinach.
Wait until the last frost before sowing green beans, courgettes, cucumbers, melons and sweet corn in open soil.
Seeds to Sow in May
June
Weather conditions in June are optimal for growing your veggies, herbs and flowers. Warm temperatures and moist soil will provide excellent growth.
Later in summer, conditions will be less favourable, as it might be too hot, so make sure to plant all crops by mid-June. Crops such as tomatoes, peppers, aubergines and cucumbers are perfect for planting in June. Besides you can sow crops that bolt quickly including endive, rocket and Chinese cabbage.
The first summer carrots, beetroots and broad beans will be ready at the beginning of the summer harvest. The freshness of vegetables decreases as they get older, so make sure to harvest them as soon as possible. This also frees up space for later crops.
Seeds to Sow Outdoors in June
July
In July it is mostly warm, which means plenty of harvesting. As a result, some empty spots will emerge in your vegetable garden and make room for the next crop.
You can still sow a number of crops in the empty beds in the vegetable garden, like turnips, radishes, carrots, endive, lettuce, purslane, pak choi, Chinese cabbage, spinach, rocket and cress.
Between late July and early August, you can sow one last round of lettuce. Thin out previously planted seedlings well so that these crops also get good space to grow.
Tip: When growing in a greenhouse, make sure to ventilate well to avoid diseases and fungi.
Seeds to Sow Outdoors in July
August
August is the month for harvesting crops. Many of the vegetable garden beds and boxes will be flourishing and besides enjoying the delicious harvest, there will be lots of gardening work like watering, fertilising, cleaning up and weeding. Crops such as radishes, spinach and lettuce can still be sown this month.
In August you can also start sowing crops for the new year. Chard, cabbages and spring onions can be pre-sown. Improve soil health and fertility by sowing green manure like phacelia or clover in the empty spaces of your kitchen garden.
You can still plant autumn cauliflower, strawberries, pak choi and winter leeks directly in open ground this month.
Seeds to Sow Outdoors in August
September & October
Leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, leaf chicory, lettuce and corn salad can still be sown now.
Garlic cloves can be planted directly in the soil from September, which will provide you with deliciously large garlic bulbs in the following year.
At the end of September or beginning of October, you can plant onions for an early yield in the new year. Note that only a few varieties are suitable for this late planting. Plant the onions in a sheltered spot in well-drained soil.
Food to Grow Outdoors in September and October
November & December
November and December is the perfect time to sow leafy greens like lettuce, microgreens like cress and corn salad.
November and December also mark the ideal period to plant garlic cloves directly in the soil, as they need cold to germinate, ensuring a bountiful harvest of large, flavourful garlic bulbs the next year.
Towards the month’s end, seize the opportunity to plant spring onions for an early yield in the upcoming year.
