Vegetable Growing Guides — Any Climate
These guides describe what each crop needs rather than when to plant it. Soil temperature, frost tolerance and day length behave the same way everywhere, so the same guidance holds in either hemisphere and at any latitude.
Work from temperature class, not from a date
| Temperature class | What it means | How to time it |
|---|---|---|
| Hardy cool-season | Survives frost; germinates in soil from about 4-5C (40F). Kale, spinach, garlic, broad beans. | Sow as soon as soil is workable and above its germination minimum. Frost improves flavour in several of these. |
| Half-hardy cool-season | Tolerates light frost; prefers soil 7-15C (45-60F). Lettuce, carrot, beet, radish, pea, most brassicas. | Sow from a few weeks before your last frost. Bolts once sustained heat arrives, so the second sowing window after peak heat is often the better one. |
| Tender warm-season | Killed by frost; needs soil above 15-16C (60F). Tomato, pepper, eggplant, bean, cucumber, squash, sweet corn. | Transplant only after your last frost has passed AND night temperatures hold above about 10-13C (50-55F). Planting into cold soil stunts these permanently. |
| Heat-loving | Needs soil above 18-21C (65-70F) and long warmth. Sweet potato, okra, melon, some peppers. | Wait for settled warmth. These gain nothing from an early start and are damaged by cold soil. |
Growing guides (22 crops)
- How to Grow Beets — Leaf miner tunnels through leaves but rarely threatens the root itself
- How to Grow Broccoli — Cabbage looper, imported cabbageworm and flea beetles are…
- How to Grow Brussels sprouts — Same pest pressure as broccoli and cabbage
- How to Grow Bush beans — Mexican bean beetle in some regions; root rot in poorly drained soil
- How to Grow Cabbage — Rotate 4+ years where clubroot is present; its resting spores persist…
- How to Grow Carrots — Carrot rust fly (tunnelling damage) and cavity spot (sunken lesions,…
- How to Grow Cucumbers — Powdery mildew and cucumber beetle
- How to Grow Eggplant — Flea beetles riddle young leaves early on; row covers until flowering…
- How to Grow Garlic — Allium white rot sclerotia can persist in soil for decades — rotation…
- How to Grow Kale — The most cold-hardy common brassica — sweetens measurably after a…
- How to Grow Lettuce — Bolts and turns bitter in sustained heat — shift to heat-tolerant…
- How to Grow Onions — Onion maggot/fly
- How to Grow Peas — Powdery mildew as the season warms — this is a cool-season crop that…
- How to Grow Peppers — Blossom-end rot from uneven watering; aphids
- How to Grow Potatoes — Colorado potato beetle and late blight in humid climates
- How to Grow Radishes — Flea beetles riddle leaves but the fast maturity usually outruns…
- How to Grow Spinach — Bolts rapidly as both daylight and temperature rise — a second sowing…
- How to Grow Sweet corn — Corn earworm
- How to Grow Sweet potatoes — Wireworm in some regions
- How to Grow Tomatoes — Blossom-end rot, early and late blight in humid conditions, aphids
- How to Grow Winter squash — Squash vine borer, powdery mildew
- How to Grow Zucchini — Squash vine borer and powdery mildew are the two main threats — wide…
Not sure when your conditions are right? How to Know When to Plant walks through the observe, measure, decide method in full.
Turn these guides into a written plan. The Global Vegetable Garden Planner (printable PDF) has the soil-temperature reference, crop rotation planner, sowing log and harvest tracker — 73 pages, no calendar required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are there no planting dates in these guides?
Because a date is only meaningful at one latitude in one hemisphere. Soil temperature, frost tolerance and day length are the conditions the plant actually responds to, and those are the same everywhere.
How do I work out my own planting times?
Measure soil temperature at 5-10 cm each morning, record your own first and last frost dates, and match those against each crop's temperature class. That gives you a schedule specific to your garden rather than your region.
How many crops do these guides cover?
22 vegetables, each described by temperature class, germination requirements, spacing and days to maturity rather than by calendar month.
Last updated 25 August 2026
Build The Plan Into Your Garden
Planning guides are easier to act on when you pair them with bed records, soil preparation, and the right basic tools.
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.