UK Sowing Calendar & Grow Log
What to sow right now, tailored to where you live — plus a personal grow log and free calendar reminders so you never miss a sowing window.
📬 Email me what to sow each month
One short email at the start of each month: exactly what to sow, plant out and harvest for your region. Free, no spam.
Your grow log
Log what you sow, then come back to mark whether it thrived. Saved privately in your browser — and it builds a picture of what really grows well in your region.
When to sow vegetables in the UK
Knowing what to plant this month is the difference between a glut and a flop. Sow tender crops too early and a late frost wipes them out; sow hardy crops too late and they never size up before autumn. This free vegetable planting calendar packs the standard UK sowing windows for 28 common crops — vegetables, herbs and easy cut-flowers — into one month-by-month view, then nudges the dates for how far north you garden.
How the calendar works
Every crop carries four windows: sow indoors (windowsill, propagator or greenhouse), sow outdoors (direct into warm soil or final pots), plant out (move hardened-off young plants outside) and harvest. Choose a month and the tool shows only what's relevant right now, so you're never scrolling a 12-month grid hunting for today. The default view is the current month for Central UK, so there's always a real answer on screen.
Why region matters
The single biggest control on sowing dates is your last frost. In the mild coastal south it can pass by late April; across the Midlands it's typically mid-to-late May; in northern England, upland areas and much of Scotland it can linger into early June. To approximate this, the calendar shifts sowing windows roughly 0 weeks for Southern England, about +1 week for Central UK and about +2 weeks for Northern UK and Scotland. It's a deliberately simple rule of thumb — your own garden's aspect, shelter and soil will move the real date more than any regional average, so treat the dates as a confident starting point, not gospel.
A worked example
Take the tomato, the nation's favourite crop. Standard guidance is to sow indoors February to April, plant out late May to June once frosts have passed, and harvest July to October. In Southern England you might sow at the early end of February; set the region to Northern UK & Scotland and the calendar nudges that start a fortnight later, because planting out into cold May soil only checks growth. Add a yearly reminder and your phone will tell you when the window opens each spring — no need to remember.
The grow log: learn from your own garden
Averages get you close; your own records get you right. The grow log lets you note each sowing — crop, date and a few words on variety or position — and later mark it a success, partial or failure. Over a couple of seasons you'll see at a glance which crops reliably earn their space in your soil and climate. It's saved privately in your browser. As more gardeners log results, the aim is to turn those records into a crowdsourced picture of what genuinely grows well region by region — far more useful than a one-size-fits-all packet date.
Honest caveats
This is a seeded calendar built from widely published UK sowing norms (the kind printed on seed packets and in standard growing guides) for illustration and planning. It is not a substitute for the instructions on your specific seed variety, and it can't see this year's weather. A cold, wet spring delays everything; a mild one brings it forward. Always check the soil is workable and warm before sowing outdoors, harden plants off before they go out, and protect anything tender until your local frosts are truly done. When in doubt, sow a little later — a fortnight's patience beats losing a tray of seedlings.
FAQ
How do I know what to sow this month in the UK?
Pick the current month and your region at the top. The calendar lists what to sow indoors, sow outdoors, plant out and harvest right now, based on standard UK horticultural sowing windows.
How does the region setting change the dates?
It shifts sowing windows later for colder regions — roughly 0 weeks for Southern England, about +1 week for Central UK and about +2 weeks for Northern UK and Scotland — to approximate later last-frost dates. It's an approximation; your own garden's microclimate matters more than any map.
What's the difference between sowing indoors and outdoors?
Sowing indoors (windowsill, heated propagator or greenhouse) gives tender crops like tomatoes a head start before the frosts pass. Sowing outdoors means sowing directly into the ground or final pots once soil and air are warm enough.
When is the last frost in the UK?
For much of the UK the last frost is typically mid-to-late May, but it ranges from late April in the mildest coastal south to early June in northern and upland areas. Don't put tender crops outside unprotected until the risk has passed locally.
Is the grow log private?
Yes. Your grow log and email are saved only in your own browser using local storage. Nothing is sent to a server in this free version.
Can I get a reminder before a sowing window opens?
Yes. Choose a crop and click Add sowing reminder to download an .ics file. It adds a yearly event at the start of that crop's sowing window, with an alert three days before.
Sowing windows are seeded from widely published UK horticultural norms for illustration and planning, and shifted by region as an approximation of last-frost timing. Always follow the instructions on your specific seed variety and check local conditions. Not a substitute for professional horticultural advice.