Vegetables thrive in fertile, nutrient-rich soil. If your garden contains clay, sandy or silty soil conditions, consider amending it with compost or manure to improve texture and drainage of the ground.
Select locations for your vegetable garden that receive full sunlight. Sun-loving veggies require six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily in order to promote photosynthesis and foster their growth.
Spring
Many cool-season vegetables do best in early spring when planted prior to your last frost date, such as kale, collard greens, spinach and lettuce. By planting early spring veggies like this before their temperatures get too warm in summertime, you extend harvest season for these cool-weather favorites!
March is an ideal month to begin outdoor sowing. If your soil allows, perennial vegetables such as asparagus, artichoke, horseradish and rhubarb can be started as bare-root perennials; seeds for cool-season veggies like radishes (Raphanus carotatorum), beets carrots turnips and Swiss chard can also be planted outside in March.
Direct sow salad and summer lettuce seeds this month, along with rocket and arugula. Spring onions should also be planted. To extend your fresh salad season throughout summer, sow new seed every three weeks or so; perennial spinach and Swiss chard seeds can also be planted late spring since these vegetables produce year-round crops.
If you want to ensure your vegetables are prepared for the hotter months ahead, plant them in a cold frame or under a cloche. This will keep them slightly cooler while protecting them from hot weather that could cause them to bolt (go to seed).
Your garden temperature needs to be measured weekly on windy days and recorded over the course of two to three years in order to get an accurate picture of when frost begins to appear in your area. Seek advice from neighbors with established gardens as to their average last frost date; additionally consult neighbors who live in areas prone to unpredictable weather patterns for this information as well. Visiting a nursery, university extension office or greenhouse with gardening specialists could give invaluable real-world advice about weather patterns in your region and be ready with Walls O’ Water, HotKaps or insulated blankets should late season frost strikes!
Summer
Warm-season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and corn require direct sunlight in order to produce fruit. When planting these warm season crops in summertime, two to three weeks after your average last frost date would be an optimal time.
When planting these types of vegetables will depend on your climate; gardeners in milder environments can usually begin sowing summer crops by late May/early June in mild climates; those living in cooler environments should start their seeds indoors 8 – 10 weeks before the expected last frost date and plant them outdoors as soon as the soil temperatures remain consistent enough.
Successive sowing of fast-maturing vegetable seeds such as radish and spring onions are possible between March and July. You can also start frost-tender half-hardy annual vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and chard under cover in a greenhouse or sunny windowsill from February, to give them an early head-start before transplanting them out in your garden. Cold frame or cloche-ready crops can be planted out beginning late March.
As summer progresses, it is wise to regularly inspect your vegetable plants for signs of disease or insect pest damage and remove any that have reached their prime before spoilage occurs. A light mulch should also be added at this time to maintain moist conditions in your soil while helping keep temperatures down.
As August comes around, you can plant vegetables for harvest in autumn such as beans, squash and pumpkins. If blight occurs on these crops at night, try covering them with row covers to stop its spores from spreading further.
In September, you can still plant many of the same vegetables, but at a slower pace – one or two sowings every month so as to have an uninterrupted supply until winter comes along. If you want something special for harvest in winter like fava beans and kale this option could be ideal if you want to experiment with growing food year-round!
Fall
After summer gardening season has concluded and warm-season crops have come to an end, fall is a prime opportunity to plant cool-weather veggies that thrive in cool temperatures. Frost-hardy leafy greens, root crops and onions make ideal autumn plants that add color and functionality to late-season edible gardens – as well as being great options for winter storage!
Leafy greens such as kale (Brassica oleracea) and collards (Cabbage sativa) take advantage of cooler temperatures by being harvested throughout the season. You can direct sow these in fall up until a month before your area’s first frost; they also thrive in containers. An underrated carrot-cousin parsnip (Pisum sativum) thrives when planted outside; their frost tolerance helps create sweeter flavors with crisp textures for harvest.
Carrots (Raphanus sativus) are one of the classic fall vegetables, and easy to cultivate even in cold climates. Germination happens quickly so harvest should take place within one or two weeks after sowing seeds. To maximize yield, plant seed in rows 6 to 8 inches apart before thinned out to give each carrot sufficient room to grow.
Peas (Pisum sativum) are another cold-hardy vegetable. For optimal harvest of sugar snap peas in autumn, sow between August and October. Snow or Austrian winter peas offer additional frost resistance.
Radishes (Raphanus sativus) also flourish during fall planting season and are an eye-catching addition to late-season gardens. You can either direct sow them in your outdoor plot, or start them indoors and transplant once they have grown several inches tall.
Along with vegetables, fall is also the time to plant herbs such as cilantro and peppery cress in your garden. To protect yourself from pests, it’s best to change their locations periodically, rotating between areas throughout the year.
Winter
Autumn provides the ideal climate and space to plant a variety of vegetables for harvest in winter, according to their individual growing requirements. Some crops, like some types of lettuce, require protection from frost or extreme cold and should be grown under cover using greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame structures; others, however, are best suited for outdoor cultivation and can be planted directly into the ground as soon as the risk of frost has passed.
Planting herbs for use in your kitchen is also an excellent idea. Chives, parsley and dill will flourish outdoors during late autumn; carrots and turnips also do well outdoors in this regard.
Continue to sow fast-growing vegetables like lettuce, spinach, spring onions and radishes as the season progresses – such as lettuce, spinach, spring onions and radishes. Sowing fennel seeds late June will result in harvestable plants by autumn; now is also an ideal time for sowing winter salad leaves such as Lamb’s lettuce, mustard greens ‘Winter Gem’ oriental mibuna mizuna to ensure you always have access to fresh produce throughout winter!
Many vegetables can also be grown successfully indoors in trays for sowing outdoors once frost-risk has subsided, including brassicas, kale and leeks. Starting now is also an ideal opportunity to sow frost tender, half hardy annual seeds such as carrots, swedes, peas and parsnips in modules which can then be moved outside once temperatures warm up – or alternatively direct sow them. Alternatively, mid-late March is also an ideal time for planting out early potatoes that have been chitted from seed, ready to harvest come spring. They can be grown indoors in polytunnels; just ensure there’s ample sunlight and access to water – for those interested in trying their luck at growing a winter vegetable garden in one, see our guide on creating winter vegetable gardens in polytunnels.