When To Plant Different Vegetables | Printable guide to planting veg

We’re often asked when to plant different vegetables outside so in this post we’ll run through 50+ vegetables and their growing preferences.

We’ve included a free printable pdf too so you can download our advice on when to plant different vegetables. (You’ll find it at the bottom of the post).

Timing is crucial when it comes to vegetable planting and can be the difference between frost damaged plants that will either die or recover slowly and healthy plants providing plentiful crops.

As a beginner gardener it’s really important to understand that all vegetables like different growing conditions and can tolerate different temperatures.

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Did you know that your veggie plants all like different growing conditions. For example… Butternut squash need warmth and full sun to do well… …whereas salads and other leafy greens will tolerate shade. Infact shade during the hottest part of the day will prevent them bolting (getting tall and producing flowers). Think about planting taller plants to shade your leafy veg e.g. French Beans, Runner Beans, Peas, Sugarsnaps. Remember that beans (unlike peas) suffer fewer soil problems so can be planted in any of your beds. #gardeningtips #growyourown

A post shared by Amy Jones (@beginnergardener_tips) on May 5, 2020 at 1:38am PDT

How do I know when to plant different vegetables?

You’re seed packet will give you an idea of what month you can plant different vegetables however, often they are a little vague.

The problem with monthly growing advice is that real planting out dates vary so much depending on where you live. Even in a small country like Britain, temperatures vary greatly.

What really matters is temperature. The soil needs to be the right temperature for seed germination and the air needs to be the right temperature for your plant to thrive.

Finding the last predicted frost date for your area will give you a better indication of what to plant when in your garden.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a simple printable that will tell you at a glance how close to the last predicted frost you can sow and transplant various vegetables.

Take a look at this website to find the last predicted frost date in your area.

Knowing when to sow different vegetables will mean that you’ll loose fewer crops and hopefully your harvests will be better.

Whether you’re sowing directly into the ground outside or are starting seedlings indoors then this guide will help you work out when to plant different vegetables.

When to start sowing seeds?

Most vegetables will be sown in Spring (from March to May) and harvested during the Summertime. However some plants, like broad beans, can be sown earlier and others harvested later like kale and leeks.

Should I plant seeds inside or outside?

There are a 2 main reasons for starting seeds indoors:

1. Because the plant likes warmth.

2. Because we want to give the plant a headstart despite outside conditions not being ideal (pests, temperature).

Below I’ll explain how many weeks before your areas last predicted frost each vegetable should be sowed or planted.

The information is downloadable as a pdf that you can print and reder back to as you wish.

Not many vegetables need to be sowed 3 months before the last predicted frost but the following will benefit from a longer growing period.

About 6-8 weeks before your last predicted frost you can start sowing carrots and parsnips outside. It’s also time to pop some peas into the soil and get your onion sets in.

You’ll still need to be ready with some fleece incase the weather gets very cold.

As the weather begins to warm up it’s time to get some plants started indoors ready for planting out later in the season.

Many of your favourite vegetables can be sowed now so that it will be a decent size when transplanted.

It’s getting busy in the garden now and all your seedlings are probably pretty desperate to be planted out.

Harden your plants off for a few weeks by bringing them outside during the day before planting out.

Many vegetable can be planted out by now but you will need to wait a little longer to plant out your tender vegetables like sweetcorn and courgettes.

You’ve resisted the temptation to plant out too early ans hopefully your plants are doing well.

Now is the time to get everything in the ground. Keep an eye on the weather and protect plants if there is a sudden drop on temperature.

Keep fleece off plants with stakes otherwise you risk damaging the plant.

You can print this list of when to plant different vegetables to plant when by clicking on the link below.

Take a look at this website to find the last predicted frost date in your area.

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