A sowing calendar is the easiest shortcut to a kitchen garden that actually succeeds. When you sow at the right time, you get better germination, stronger plants, and less work trying to save something that came too early or too late. And the season becomes longer because you can sow in waves: pre-sowing, direct sowing, and new batches later in the year.
In this guide you get a clear sowing calendar month by month: what you can sow when, what should be started indoors, what can be sown directly, and the most important rules of thumb.
🌡️ What determines when you can sow?
Dates are a good plan – but in practice it is temperature, soil, and light that decide. The three most important factors are typically:
- Soil temperature: many seeds only germinate reliably when the soil is warm enough.
- Night frost: heat-loving plants stall in cold and can be damaged by frost.
- Light when starting indoors: sowing too early without extra light gives leggy, weak plants.
In short: The months are a plan. The most important “roadblocks” are cold/wet soil, night frost, and too little light.
✅ Start indoors or sow directly?
- Start indoors: slow and heat-loving crops (e.g. tomato, chili, pepper, leek, celeriac) and anything you want earlier.
- Sow directly: hardy and fast crops (e.g. radish, lettuce, spinach, peas, carrot) when the soil can be worked.
- Sow in batches: repeat sowing of lettuce/radish/carrot for continuous harvest instead of “everything at once”.
💡 Tip: The longest season often comes from several sowings, not one big one.
📅 January: planning and very early indoor sowing
Safe choices: microgreens, cress, sprouts. Only with good light: chili/pepper (long development).
- Start indoors (only with extra light): chili, pepper.
- Indoors: microgreens, cress, and sprouts.
- Get ready: check your seed stock, plan the beds, prepare seed trays.
📅 February: indoor sowing gets going
Safe choices: chili/pepper, leek, celeriac. With light: early tomatoes.
- Start indoors: chili, pepper, leek, celeriac, early tomatoes.
- Note: Light is still the bottleneck. Better to sow a little later than to get leggy plants.
⚠️ Important: Leggy plants are almost always caused by too little light relative to warmth and growth.
📅 March: indoor sowing + the first direct sowings
Safe choices: tomato (start indoors), brassicas (start indoors), radish/spinach/peas (direct) if the soil can be worked.
- Start indoors: tomato, brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, pointed cabbage), lettuce, onion from seed, basil (warm and bright).
- Direct sowing: spinach, radish, peas, parsley, early carrots – if the soil is not waterlogged and can be worked.
📅 April: direct sowing in the bed
Safe choices: carrot, beetroot, lettuce, radish, spinach, peas, dill.
- Direct sowing: carrot, beetroot, lettuce, radish, spinach, peas, dill, coriander, parsnip.
- Start indoors (late April): zucchini, pumpkin, cucumber (they grow fast and easily get too big if started too early).
- Transplanting (hardy): brassicas and lettuce can often be planted out earlier than heat-loving plants.
💡 Tip: Sow lettuce and radishes every 2–3 weeks in spring for continuous harvest.
📅 May: heat-loving crops – but watch out for cold nights
Safe choices: more batches of lettuce/carrot/beetroot. Heat-loving: wait until nights are stable.
- Direct sowing (when the soil is warm): beans, corn, zucchini/pumpkin, sunflower.
- Transplanting (when night frost is over): tomato, chili, pepper, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin.
- New batches: lettuce, radish, carrot, beetroot.
📅 June: sowing in waves and summer vegetables
Safe choices: beans (several batches), lettuce, dill, coriander, beetroot.
- Direct sowing: beans (several batches), beetroot, lettuce, dill, coriander, carrot (late batch).
- For autumn: kale and other brassica batches, parsley, chives.
📅 July: start on late summer and autumn
Safe choices: lettuce, arugula, radish, dill. Late-summer crops: Asian leafy greens often do best later in summer.
- Direct sowing: lettuce, arugula, radish, dill.
- Be cautious with: spinach (often best to wait until late summer) and pak choi/mizuna (often thrive better when it gets cooler).
In short: July is perfect for filling empty spaces – but choose varieties that suit the heat.
📅 August: late-summer sowing
Safe choices: spinach (late summer), arugula, radish, lettuce, Asian leafy greens.
- Direct sowing: spinach, arugula, radish, lettuce, mizuna/pak choi and similar.
- Sow in batches: lettuce and radishes often give the best results in repeated small sowings.
📅 September: last batches in open ground and under cover
Safe choices: spinach, arugula, radish. Under cover: lettuce and herbs.
- Direct sowing: spinach (late), arugula, radishes, fast lettuces.
- Under cover (e.g. cold frame/greenhouse): lettuce, spinach, potted herbs.
📅 October: sow less, harvest more
October is often more harvest than sowing. With protection you can still sow a little leafy green.
- Under cover: spinach, lettuce, and selected herbs.
- Get ready: clear beds, add compost, cover the soil, and plan next season.
📅 November–December: low season, but still possible
- Indoors: sprouts, microgreens, cress.
- Under cover: a little leafy green in mild periods (depends on temperature and light).
- Planning: review what worked and adjust for next year.
📈 Sow in batches: the key to continuous harvest
- Lettuce and radish: every 2–3 weeks in spring and late summer.
- Carrots: 2–3 batches (early, mid, late) give a long harvest.
- Beans: 1–2 extra batches spaced 3–4 weeks apart can extend the season.
- Dill and coriander: several small sowings give fresher herbs over a longer time.
💡 Tip: When you harvest an early crop, sow something new the same day. Bare soil is a lost season.
🧠 Common mistakes
- Leggy plants: too little light when starting indoors → more light or later sowing.
- Poor germination: cold/waterlogged soil → wait or use protection.
- Everything at once: abundance and waste → sow in batches.
- Sowing too densely: competition → thin out early.
❓ Frequently asked questions
When is it too early to sow?
When the soil is cold/waterlogged, or when you start indoors without enough light and get leggy plants.
What is easiest to sow early?
Hardy crops like peas, radish, spinach, and lettuce can often be started early if the soil can be worked.
What can I sow late in the summer?
Lettuce, arugula, radish, spinach (late summer), and many Asian leafy greens often give a really good late-summer/autumn harvest.
Why do my seeds germinate poorly?
Typical causes are soil that is too cold, uneven moisture, sowing too deep, or old seeds. Start with soil temperature and moisture.
How do I get the longest season?
Start slow plants indoors, direct sow in batches, and use protection for late-summer/autumn crops.
Which crops are best to sow in batches?
Lettuce, radishes, beans, carrots, dill, and spinach are among the most rewarding for repeated sowings.
