Can you direct-sow broccoli?

Broccoli can technically be direct-sown, but in temperate climates it almost never works for the main spring crop – there isn't enough time. For autumn broccoli, direct sowing in July is viable. For spring, always start indoors in February–March.

Why do tomatoes and peppers need to be started indoors?

Tomatoes need 65–85 days from transplant and peppers 70–90 days – but in temperate climates the frost-free outdoor season is only about 150 days. Without 6–10 weeks of indoor head start, there isn't enough time to grow a full crop before the first autumn frost.

How are 'days to harvest' counted?

For transplanted crops (tomato, pepper, etc.) days to harvest are counted from the date of transplanting into the garden. For direct-sown crops (carrot, radish, pea) they are counted from germination. Seed packets sometimes count from germination for all crops – check the packet label.

Planting April 27, 2026 10 min read

Vegetable Sowing Calendar – When to Sow and Plant 25 Vegetables

Tomatoes and peppers go indoors in January–March, brassicas from February, cucumbers and zucchini in April, and root vegetables are direct-sown from March. The table below covers exact windows for 25 vegetables in a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate (last frost ≈ late April).

Complete sowing calendar

Dates are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate with the last frost around late April (USDA zone 6, central Germany, UK Midlands, northern France). ■ Green = sow indoors ■ Blue = transplant / direct sow outdoors.

Vegetable	Sow indoors	Transplant	Direct sow	Days to harvest
Tomato	Feb – Mar	May	—	65 – 85
Pepper	Jan – Feb	May – Jun	—	70 – 90
Eggplant	Jan – Feb	May – Jun	—	75 – 90
Cucumber	Apr	May	May	50 – 70
Zucchini / Courgette	Apr	May	May	45 – 65
Pumpkin / Squash	Apr	May	May	90 – 120
Broccoli	Feb – Mar	Apr	—	55 – 80
Cabbage	Feb – Mar	Mar – Apr	—	65 – 95
Cauliflower	Feb – Mar	Mar – Apr	—	55 – 80
Brussels sprouts	Mar – Apr	Apr – May	—	90 – 120
Kale	Mar – Apr	Apr – May	Apr – May	55 – 70
Kohlrabi	Mar – Apr	Apr – May	Apr – May	45 – 60
Lettuce	Feb – Apr	Mar – May	Mar – Aug	30 – 60
Spinach	—	—	Mar – Apr & Sep	30 – 50
Radish	—	—	Mar – Sep	20 – 30
Carrot	—	—	Mar – Jun	65 – 90
Beetroot	—	—	Apr – Jun	50 – 70
Onion	Jan – Feb	Mar – Apr	—	100 – 130
Leek	Jan – Feb	May – Jun	—	100 – 130
Garlic	—	—	Oct – Nov	harvest Jun – Jul
Pea	—	—	Feb – Apr	60 – 80
Dwarf bean	—	—	May – Jul	50 – 65
Corn	Apr	May	May	65 – 95
Celery	Jan – Feb	May	—	120 – 150
Basil	Mar – Apr	May – Jun	—	60 – 90

How to read this table

The dates assume a temperate Northern Hemisphere location with the last frost around late April. If you're in the Mediterranean (last frost February–March) shift every window 6–8 weeks earlier. Scandinavia or northern Canada (last frost May–June) shift 3–6 weeks later.

Sow indoors – start seeds in pots or seed trays inside your home or in a heated greenhouse, typically 6–10 weeks before your last frost date
Transplant – move hardened-off seedlings to outdoor beds; for frost-sensitive crops, never before the last frost date
Direct sow – sow seeds straight into prepared outdoor soil; some crops like carrots and radishes grow better this way
Days to harvest – counted from transplanting for seedling crops (tomato, pepper, etc.) or from germination for direct-sown crops (carrot, radish, pea)

Frost-sensitive crops: always start indoors

Tomatoes need 65–85 days from transplant to first harvest. Peppers need 70–90 days. In a temperate climate with a frost-free outdoor season of roughly 150 days (May to October), you simply can't sow these outdoors and still get a crop. Start them indoors in January–March, give them at least 6 weeks of growth, harden them off for 1–2 weeks, and transplant only after the last frost has passed.

Celery is the most demanding: it needs 10–12 weeks indoors and is slow to germinate. January is not too early for celery in zone 6.

Brassicas: cold-tolerant, but still start indoors

Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts tolerate light frosts once established. Starting them indoors in February–March lets you transplant in March–April, gaining a 4–6 week head start. Brassicas actually prefer to mature in cool, moist weather – spring-planted brassicas bolt or turn bitter if they mature in summer heat. Getting them in the ground early is the key to a quality harvest.

Brussels sprouts need the longest season of all brassicas – 90 to 120 days. Start them in March, transplant in April–May, and they'll be ready from October after the first autumn frosts improve their flavour.

Root vegetables and legumes: direct sow only

Carrots, beetroot and parsnips don't transplant – their taproots are damaged by the process. Sow them directly into deeply loosened, stone-free soil. Peas and broad beans prefer cool conditions and can go in as early as February in mild winters. Dwarf beans are frost-sensitive and go in after the last frost, from May.

Radishes are the fastest crop in the table: 20–30 days from sowing to harvest. Sow them every 2–3 weeks from March to August for a continuous supply.

What "days to harvest" actually means

The figure on seed packets and in tables like this one is always an average under ideal conditions. In practice, expect variation of ±10–20%. A tomato rated at 70 days in a warm, sunny summer might take 90 days in a cool, overcast one. Days to harvest is a planning tool, not a guarantee.

For transplanted crops (tomato, pepper, eggplant, celery), the clock starts on the day you plant them in the ground – not from when you sowed the seed indoors. For direct-sown crops, it starts from germination.

Your personalised sowing schedule

Gardener Planner generates a complete sowing calendar based on the vegetables in your garden plan and your local last frost date. Set your location once – the app calculates the right sowing, transplanting and harvest windows for every crop automatically.

→ Open Gardener Planner and set up your garden

Frequently asked questions

In a temperate climate (last frost late April), sowing tomatoes after mid-April is too late. They need 6–8 weeks indoors before transplanting, which would push them to June – and they'd lose the best part of the growing season. Sow by the end of March at the latest.

Technically yes, but in temperate climates there isn't enough time for a spring crop. For autumn broccoli, direct sowing in July is viable. For spring production, always start indoors in February–March and transplant in April.

Frost-sensitive plants (tomato, pepper, cucumber, zucchini, basil) will be damaged or killed by any frost. Even temperatures above freezing but below 10 °C cause chilling injury in peppers and basil – stunted growth that can take weeks to recover. Always check your local last frost date before transplanting.

Local meteorological services publish average last frost dates by region. As a rough guide: southern England / northern France / central Germany ≈ late April; Scandinavia ≈ May–June; Mediterranean ≈ February–March; southern USA ≈ January–February. These are averages – in any given year it may be earlier or later.

For transplanted crops, from the day of transplanting into the garden. For direct-sown crops, from germination. Seed packets sometimes count from germination for all crops – read the label. Weather, variety and soil quality can shift the figure by 10–20%.

Plan your sowing schedule automatically

Add your vegetables to Gardener Planner and get a personalised calendar with exact sowing and planting dates for your climate.

Open Gardener Planner – Free

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