What to plant now, and what to do in the garden

Use our month by month lists to help you stay up to date what to plant now, and what to do in the garden this month — or maybe just for some inspiration. Find out what you should be planting & growing in the garden in the coming weeks!

Our essential guide to what, where and when you can start growing your flowers, vegetables and fruit is also right here. You'll even find some hints on what's good to put in your shopping basket each month!

Whether you have all day to spare or just half an hour, there is always something to do in the garden. Take a look at our lists below to find out what to do in your garden now.

January

January is the perfect time to try something new, and plenty of veg seeds can be started off indoors this month. A few of the hardiest crops can even be direct sown outside.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Aubergines	Broad beans	Brussels sprouts	Parsnips
Chillies	Peas	Cabbage	Spinach (perpetual)
Kale		Cauliflowers	Swedes
Lettuce		Chicory
Microgreens		Kale
Onions		Leeks
Salad leaves		Microgreens

potatoes in egg boxes in January — What to do in the garden in January

flowers growing in January — What to sow and grow in January

February

February is one of the coldest months of the year but, if you look closely, there are signs that spring is just around the corner! Keep sowing your veg seeds indoors, and if you're planning to use raised beds, build them now.

Sow Indoors		Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Aubergines	Mint	Broad beans	Broccoli
Basil	Microgreens	Parsnips	Brussels sprouts
Broad beans	Onions	Peas	Cabbages
Brussels sprouts	Oregano		Cauliflowers
Cabbages (Summer)	Parsley		Chicory
Carrots	Radish		Kale
Cauliflowers	Rosemary		Leeks
Celeriac	Salad leaves		Microgreens
Celery	Sweet marjoram		Parsnips
Chillies	Sweet peppers		Salad leaves
Cucumbers	Tomatoes		Spinach (perpetual)
Kale	Thyme		Swedes
Leeks	Chinese cabbage
Lettuce

rhubarb growing in the garden in February — What to do in the garden in February

harvested leeks in February — What to sow and grow in February

March

A lighter and brighter month for gardeners, mid-March heralds the arrival of spring. One of the busiests months in the vegetable growing calendar, you can sow a much larger variety of vegetables directly outside this month.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Artichoke (globe)	Beetroot	Broccoli
Asparagus seeds	Broad beans	Cabbage
Aubergines	Broccoli	Cauliflowers
Basil	Brussels sprouts	Leeks
Beetroot	Cabbage	Lettuce
Broad bean	Carrots	Microgreens
Cabbage (Spring)	Cauliflowers	Salad leaves
Cauliflowers	Fennel	Spring onions
Celeriac	Kale	Swedes
Celery	Kohl Rabi
Chillies	Leeks
Cucumbers	Peas
Kale	Radishes
Lettuce	Rocket
Microgreens	Salad leaves
Onions	Shallots
Pak choi	Spinach (annual)
Parsnips	Spinach (perpetual)
Sweet peppers	Spring onions
Peas	Swiss Chard
Spring onions	Turnips
Tomatoes	Chinese cabbage
Turnips	Cabbages (Summer)
Chinese cabbage	Red Cabbage
Cabbages (Summer)
Red Cabbage

plug plants growing in March — What to do in the garden in March

colourful blooming flowers in March — What to sow and grow in March

April

In most parts of the UK, you can harden off and plant out seedlings this month. Make sure you keep on top of weeding so your growing veg doesn't have to compete for nutrients.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Artichoke (globe)	Artichoke (globe)	Cauliflowers
Asparagus	Beetroot	Leeks
Aubergines	Broad beans	Microgreens
Basil	Brussels sprouts	Pak choi
Broccoli	Carrots	Radishes
Butternut squash	Cauliflowers	Salad leaves
Cabbage (Spring)	Fennel	Spring onions
Cauliflowers	Kale
Celeriac	Kohl Rabi
Celery	Leeks
Chillies	Lettuce
Courgettes	Onions
Cucumbers	Pak choi
French beans	Parsnips
Kale	Peas
Marrow	Radicchio
Microgreens	Radishes
Pumpkin	Salad leaves
Runner beans	Spinach (annual)
Squash	Spinach (perpetual)
Sweetcorn	Spring onions
Sweet peppers	Swiss Chard
Tomatoes (for outdoor growing)	Turnips
Chinese cabbage	Chinese cabbage
Cabbage (winter)	Cabbage (winter)
Cabbages (Summer)	Cabbages (Summer)

flowers blooming on a frame in April — What to do in the garden in April

harvested broad beans in April — What to sow and grow in April

May

Keep sowing seeds little and often through May. Direct sown seeds like spinach, carrot and lettuce will probably need thinning out this month to give them room to grow.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Basil	Beetroot	Asparagus
Broccoli	Broad beans	Cauliflowers
Butternut squash	Butternut squash	Microgreens
Cabbage (Spring)	Carrots	Pak choi
Cauliflowers	Cauliflowers	Radishes
Courgettes	Fennel	Salad leaves
Cucumbers	Kale	Spinach (annual)
French beans	Kohl Rabi	Spinach (perpetual)
Microgreens	Lettuce	Spring onions
Marrow	Pak choi	Turnips
Pumpkin	Peas
Runner beans	Radicchio
Squash	Radishes
Sweetcorn	Salad leaves
Chinese cabbage	Swiss Chard
Cabbage (winter)	Turnips
Cabbages (Summer)	Chinese cabbage
	Cabbage (winter)
	Cabbages (Summer)
	Parsnips

plants growing with bamboo canes in April — What to do in the garden in May

sunflowers growing in May — What to sow and grow in May

June

Summer has arrived, along with the longest day of the year. Warmer temperatures and extra sunlight mean there's lots to harvest in the vegetable garden.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Basil	Beetroot	Asparagus
Broccoli	Carrots	Beetroot
Microgreens	Cauliflowers	Broad beans
Pumpkin	Courgettes	Broccoli
Chinese cabbage	Fennel	Cauliflowers
	French beans	Kohl Rabi
	Kohl Rabi	Lettuce
	Lettuce	Microgreens
	Marrow	Peas
	Pak choi	Radishes
	Peas	Rocket
	Radicchio	Salad leaves
	Radishes	Spinach (annual)
	Runner beans	Spinach (perpetual)
	Salad leaves	Spring onions
	Spinach (annual)	Turnips
	Spring onions
	Swiss Chard
	Turnips
	Chinese cabbage

shearing hedges in June — What to do in the garden in June

planting flowers in June — What to sow and grow in June

July

The long, warm days of July are ideal for gardening, and you should have a load of fresh vegetables to harvest. Keep up with successional sowing to make sure your veg patch is productive into autumn.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Microgreens	Beetroot	Artichoke (globe)	Radishes
Spring Cabbage	French beans	Basil	Salad leaves
Chinese cabbage	Lettuce	Broad beans	Spinach (annual)
	Pak choi	Broccoli	Spinach (perpetual)
	Radicchio	Beetroot	Spring onions
	Radishes	Carrots	Squash
	Rocket	Cauliflowers	Sweet peppers
	Runner beans	Courgettes	Swiss Chard
	Salad leaves	Cucumbers	Tomatoes
	Spinach (annual)	French beans	Turnips
	Spring onions	Kohl Rabi	Marrow
	Swede	Lettuce
	Swiss Chard	Microgreens
	Spring Cabbage	Pak choi
	Chinese cabbage	Peas

pink flowers in July — What to do in the garden in July

potatoes in a potato bag in July — What to sow and grow in July

August

August is the last official month of summer, and your vegetable garden really comes into its own this month with plenty of produce to harvest.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Microgreens	Lettuce	Artichoke (globe)	Onions
Spring Cabbage	Pak choi	Aubergines	Pak choi
Red Cabbage	Radicchio	Basil	Radishes
Chinese cabbage	Radishes	Beetroot	Rocket
	Rocket	Broad beans	Runner beans
	Salad leaves	Broccoli	Salad leaves
	Spring onions	Butternut squash	Spinach (annual)
	Spring Cabbage	Carrots	Spinach (perpetual)
	Red Cabbage	Cauliflowers	Spring onions
	Chinese cabbage	Celery	Squash
		Chillies	Sweetcorn
		Courgettes	Sweet peppers
		Cucumbers	Swiss Chard
		Fennel	Tomatoes
		French beans	Turnips
		Kohl Rabi	Marrow
		Lettuce	Microgreens

pinching plant stems in August — What to do in the garden in August

radishes harvested in August — What to sow and grow in August

September

As autumn arrives, it's time to start thinking about tidying up and preparing for winter. Your French and runner beans will keep producing provided you harvest regularly and feed and water them.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Lettuce	Kale	Artichoke (globe)	Onions
Microgreens	Pak choi	Aubergines	Pak choi
	Radicchio	Beetroot	Parsnips
	Radishes	Broccoli	Peas
	Rocket	Brussels sprouts	Pumpkins
	Spring onions	Butternut squash	Radishes
	Spinach (perpetual)	Cabbage (Spring)	Rocket
		Carrots	Runner beans
		Cauliflowers	Spinach (annual)
		Celeriac	Spinach (perpetual)
		Celery	Spring onions
		Chillies	Squash
		Courgettes	Sweetcorn
		Cucumbers	Sweet peppers
		Kale	Swiss Chard
		Fennel	Tomatoes
		French beans	Turnips
		Kohl Rabi	Marrow
		Lettuce	Salad leaves

laying turf in September — What to do in the garden in September

daffodils in September — What to sow and grow in September

October

As many summer crops come to an end, October is the perfect time to sow seeds for next spring. Why not start some bags of leaf mould to improve your soil, too?

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Cauliflowers	Spinach (perpetual)	Aubergines	Lettuce
Lettuce	Onions	Beetroot	Microgreens
Microgreens		Broccoli	Pak choi
		Brussels sprouts	Parsnips
		Butternut squash	Pumpkin
		Cabbage (Spring)	Radishes
		Carrots	Salad leaves
		Cauliflowers	Spinach (annual)
		Celeriac	Spinach (perpetual)
		Celery	Spring onions
		Chillies	Squash
		Fennel	Sweet peppers
		French beans	Swede
		Kale	Swiss Chard
		Kohl Rabi

raking leaves in October — What to do in the garden in October

apple tree in October — What to sow and grow in October

November

Darker, cool November is the perfect time to sow your broad beans and peas for next spring, and you can still plant onion, shallot and garlic sets wherever you have space.

Sow Indoors	Sow Outdoors	Harvest
Lettuce	Broad beans	Brussels sprouts	Microgreens
Microgreens	Peas	Cauliflowers	Parsnips
		Celeriac	Spinach (perpetual)
		Kale	Swede
		Lettuce

harvested parsnips in November — What to do in the garden in November

Trees blooming in November — What to sow and grow in November

December

The perfect month to start planning for the year ahead, December is a good time to review successes and decide what to grow next. Try growing microgreens on a windowsill — they're a great way to up your nutrient intake through winter.