Planting with the Seasons: A Month-by-Month Guide to Vegetable Sowing Dates

Due to climate change I plant broad beans in October and I always get an excellent harvest. My grandfather planted broad beans in February in order to have a good harvest. I live on the hills of Olltrepo pavese (60 km south of Milan). I can say that my climate zone has changed from 8 to 9 in the last ten years. Thank you Charles, for yours video: there is always something to learn!

Trying to figure out how I should adjust the sowing calendar on my Romanian weather. Do you have perhaps suggestions on how I can generally modify it so it fits my weather (temperate continental) ? Thank you 😊

How many weeks delay in sowing do you recommend due to being in Northumberland - NE49 at 230m above seal level?

Love this video, Charles!

I love to see your videos! Would like to see your garden with my own eyes!
Greatings and happy new year from Switzerland! 🇨🇭

I am learning so much from you. I look forward to buying the books. I hope to have the option to one day have an outdoor garden. I definitely believe in no dig as a method. Thank you.

i am itching to sowing something now in the green house or the house is this a gardeners condition haha

Whats your website to get a signed copy?

Just beautiful

Thank you, a very interesting guide. I have your 2023 calendar and am just wondering when next years will be available in its tweaked format.

I always check your sowing guides, quite invaluable, thanks for all your good advice from your many years of experience Charles

Wow, what a cool video, Charles! The most informative guide I've ever seen. I've already messed up with some sowings, but watching your video gives me hope. There's still time for autumn and overwinter cultures.
One thing I've noticed and wanted to ask, you briefly mentioned flea beetles, I have my radishes and other brassicas devastated by these insects. Do you have advice on how to deal with them?

Excellent video could you please tell me what the temperature is in your conservatory for your seed tray modules with the variation of temperatures required for different plants. I am struggling with seed germination and wondering if I have it too warm. Thank you. Steve.

Danke!

how do you prepare your potting/seed mix please?

Does your location mimic our USA growing zones….?
“Middle of May” I just heard you answer!!!

I often listen to your videos, and I wondered about your seasons.

Good to know!

Our planting is called “zone 5”

Frost Dates USA
May 15
OCTOBER 15
Northern Illinois/ midwest

Thank you! This explains the calendar perfectly. My melon, chili, aubergine, tomato seedlings have germinated. Can i put them in an unheated greenhouse now or do they have to stay in the house?

Love this way of learning when to sow seeds. We are quite a bit north of Dorset and our daylight/warmth availability will be at least two weeks less than yours either side of summer, but this year I am going to see what happens if I follow your dates a bit closer. The weather is nuts these days anyway! Thank you for your careful explanations.

Thank you for this, it's very handy (even speaking as someone who already owns the book and the calendar:)

Where can I buy the different modules and dibber?

Mr. Dowding, I'm fascinated watching your videos.

I have a question: I live on Long Island in NY USA, it seems your winters may be a little milder than ours here. How much difference would our calendar plantings be compared to yours? I’m very interested in getting your calendar but would be cautious about planting dates.

This is based on english climate and climatezones, if you live in northern Norway you cant grow much, much light but not much sun and ustable weather.
If you live east Norway you can grow all of this with good harvest.

Always enjoy your videos. You look fantastic in that bright red jacket. You put so much work into your videos. Thank you.

Charles Dowding is the BEST gardener in the world! In my humble opinion. His no-dig approach changed my life. He's a brilliant man.

👍👍🤛

As a seasoned gardener, I still need monthly reminders of sowing dates.I had one of your printed calenders previously, but I prefer this as it's succinct and time stamped.Thankyou for this Charles.

Your growing calendar, can these be purchased ?

What is the determining factor for fruit trees to flower, age or size?

What a property

Another amazing video

❤Wow Charles your info is amazing! Thank you so much!!! ❣️

Great video, what’s your thoughts on using hybrid seeds as many people just promote heirloom? Can you still save seed from them? Thanks

Need a upside down version for the southern hemisphere, ie Australia

Thank you! This is very helpful! And I agree with other posts below, you are indeed a treasure!

I've watched and enjoyed all your videos since I got into veg growing a few year ago, but this one was particularly useful. Like most enthusiastic veg growers, I have no trouble getting started with the early crops and have various types of row covers to even push the boundaries a bit. However, where I tend to struggle is with the later sowing at times, when there's so much already going in the garden. I know already that I'll be coming back to this video. I have 2 "gardens" in Switzerland one on a 3rd floor terrace with around 20 M2 of raised beds/pots, last frost date 11-20 April and a bigger open soil garden at 1000 meters, with a last frost date 21-31 May.

Hi, What do you use to kill cutterpilar?

Hi Charles!

I hope you’re having a lovely weekend 😊

I’ve been wondering about the ‘potting compost’ you often reference when discussing seed sowing and whether this is comparable to our ‘compost’ or ‘potting mix’? (I’m in Australia)

Thank you so much for this video! To clarify, when you say sowing undercover, is your greenhouse heated? Would the dates be later in an unheated greenhouse? Many thanks

In here you say sow leeks 2nd week March but in your book pg 159 you saw sow leeks 2nd week April under cover, which is it? Thanks.

Thank you for all your videos they are so informative! I would like to ask you one question, my daughter bought me a bag of horse manure from the garden centre, I would like to know what vegetables won’t do well in the manure, thanks in advance. Margaret

Charles - one thing I would say for those without an outdoor greenhouse but able to use windowsills/large French window areas to grow young plants is that winter squash, courgette, cucumber and tomatoes grow like the wind in what are effectively ‘heated greenhouses’, so in my experience I sow slightly later than you as otherwise they are ready too soon to go outside. I can go from sowing a squash seed to transplanting out from a 15cm pot in two weeks (including transplanting module plant into 7cm pot in between).

Everyone should evaluate their own germination, young plant indoor environment and compare it to yours, as minor differences can sometimes emerge.

Thank you for the great video! I have started radish, beetroot and perpetual spinach inside in modules. Can I transplant these directly to my allotment beds or do i need to harden them off first please?

Hi Charles, any remedy for rollie pollies / Pill bugs. They love my baby kale plants. Thank you!

I sowed elephant garlic last fall that seems to have survived the winter up here so im looking forward to those. The regular garlic i dont think made it unfortunately. I did a test planting of broccoli mid summer and boy those took off like rockets but since it was a bit late they never grew big heads so now ive started off early. :)

Charles, don´t you have idioms from the popular culture to help with sawing dates? for example in Spain, we have sowing dates linked to Saints days :-) and idioms that are like poetry with rhymes.. For example, for planting garlic it is said : "Por San Martín el ajero, siembra ajos con el dedo" that means that you need to plant garlic by San Martin which is 11 Nov is you want a good harvest :-) i know that know with climate change everything has probably change but at least is an indication :-)

A masterclass

Thank you.