Vegetable Growing Guides — Global

Vegetable growing guides that work in any climate. These describe what each crop needs rather than the date to plant it — soil temperature, frost tolerance and day length behave the same way everywhere. Read the conditions, measure your soil, and the same guidance holds in either hemisphere and at any latitude.

Work from temperature class, not from a date

Choose crops that fit the climate you have

Once you know a crop’s temperature class, the next question is whether your climate offers that class a window at all. Most disappointment in gardening outside the temperate zones comes from trying to grow a crop in a season that never arrives.

If your climate is not on this list, the classification that matters is still just three questions: does frost occur, does the year divide by temperature or by rainfall, and does day length change enough to trigger bolting? Answer those three and every guide below becomes usable.

Growing guides (22 crops)

New to growing? Start here

These forgive a late sowing, patchy watering or a first attempt at spacing. Get three or four of these right before you commit a whole bed to anything trickier.

• Radishes — Ready in under a month in almost any climate, so a failed sowing costs nothing.
• Lettuce — Fast and forgiving in cool conditions — the only real skill anywhere is timing it around sustained heat.
• Spinach — Handles cold well; the skill is sowing it into the cool window before daylight and heat push it to bolt.
• Peas — A genuinely low-effort cool-season crop almost anywhere frost or mild winters allow it.
• Beets — Roots and greens from one sowing, slow enough to forgive an inconsistent start in any climate.
• Bush beans — No staking needed — wait for warm soil, then it largely looks after itself.
• Green onions — Sow direct, cut as you need them, sow again — about as low-commitment as a crop gets.
• Fava beans — Hardy enough to overwinter in mild areas, and they leave the soil better than they found it.

The reliable core of the plot

Once you've got a season behind you, most of a productive plot is built from crops in this group — well understood, forgiving of an average year, and worth the space every time.

• Tomatoes — The crop most gardens are built around, in any climate. Needs consistent moisture and the right soil-temperature transplant — both are worth learning.
• Potatoes — Plant, hill, harvest — one of the highest-yield uses of bed space for the effort, wherever you garden.
• Onions — Slow and unglamorous, but reliable once sowing-to-transplant timing is sorted — day-length-sensitive varieties matter more near the equator.
• Carrots — Wants loose, stone-free soil more than it wants skill — true everywhere it's grown.
• Cabbage — A dependable staple almost anywhere; rotate it properly wherever clubroot risk exists.
• Zucchini — One or two plants outproduce most households in any warm-season climate.
• Cucumbers — Wants warmth and steady moisture; give it both and it's one of the most productive crops per square foot.
• Leeks — Slow but dependable, and they stand in the ground through winter until you want them.
• Shallots — Planted as sets like onions, but each one splits into a cluster — low effort once they're in.

Crops that ask more of you

Get the timing and conditions right and these are the most satisfying things you'll grow. Get them wrong and they sulk, stall or fail outright — there's very little room in between.

• Peppers — Needs real sustained warmth to set fruit — get that right in your climate and it rewards you for months.
• Eggplant — Slow to establish and fussy about heat, but produces like little else once it's away.
• Sweet corn — Needs a block planting for reliable pollination rather than a single row — true in every climate it's grown.
• Broccoli — A narrow window between cold enough to head up and warm enough to bolt, wherever you garden.
• Brussels sprouts — Slow and space-hungry, with the same pest pressure as broccoli and cabbage — but few crops reward patience like it does.
• Kale — The most cold-hardy common brassica, and it measurably sweetens after frost — worth the space wherever winters allow it to stand.
• Cauliflower — The trickiest common brassica — firm soil and even moisture decide whether you get a curd at all.
• Celery — Thirsty and slow, and it wants trenching — most gardeners either love growing it or skip it.
• Grain amaranth — An unusual grain crop for anyone with space to experiment — sow warm, harvest the seed heads in autumn.
• Love-lies-bleeding amaranth — The ornamental cousin of grain amaranth, grown as much for the trailing flowers as the edible leaves.

Plant once, harvest much later

These don't run on a normal sowing-to-harvest rhythm. Plant them, do very little for months, and the payoff arrives on its own schedule — sometimes not until next year.

• Garlic — Planted once, left alone for months, lifted much later — about as close to set-and-forget as vegetable growing gets, in any climate.
• Sweet potatoes — A full stretch of sustained warmth from slip to harvest, with very little attention needed in between.
• Winter squash — A long season from sowing to a storage-ready fruit, but what you get keeps for months afterward.
• Strawberries — Plant a bed once and it crops every summer for three or four years before it needs renewing.
• Elephant garlic — A leek relative with garlic-sized ambitions — plant like garlic, but give the giant cloves real room.
• Pumpkins — Wants space and feeding more than skill; the reward is sized by how much room you give it.

Where gardeners lose a season

Gardening from imported advice produces a recognisable set of failures, and almost all of them come from a date that was true somewhere else.

Every one of these is fixed the same way: stop reading dates, start reading conditions.

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

Every growing guide, by plant family

Every one of our 291 vegetable growing guides, grouped by plant family — the same grouping the Garden Layout Planner uses, because plant family is what decides where a crop can go in your crop rotation. Open a family to see its crops, or search below.

Free Garden Layout Planner →Once you have picked your crops, drop them into the planner and it works out spacing, bed layout and crop rotation for you.Printable Garden Planner (PDF) →A printable planner driven by your own conditions — soil temperature and frost, not a fixed calendar — so it works in either hemisphere alongside these guides.

Search growing guides

The onion family24 guidesGarlic, leeks, shallots and every onion relative. Slow, hardy, and worth a long rotation — white rot lingers in soil for years.

• Babington's Leeks
• Broadleaf Wild Leeks
• Calçots— biennial, harvested as second-year resprouts
• Chives
• Elephant Garlic
• Garlic— perennial (cultivated as a winter annual)
• Garlic Chives
• Golden Garlic
• Great Yellow Allium
• Green Onions— Grown as a fast annual salad crop, pulled young
• Keel-leaved Garlic
• Kurrat
• Leeks— Hardy biennial grown as an annual
• Nodding Onions
• Onions
• Pearl Onions
• Potato Onions
• Ramsons
• Rocambole— herbaceous perennial, grown as an annual crop
• Sand Leeks
• Shallots— Hardy biennial grown as an annual
• Three-cornered Leeks
• Tree Onions
• Welsh Onions

Brassicas & mustards43 guidesCabbages, kales and their peppery cousins from radish to horseradish. Net them against cabbage white and keep them moving around the plot.

• Arugula
• Black Radishes
• Broccoli
• Broccolini
• Brussels Sprouts
• Cabbage— biennial (requires two growing seasons, but
• Cauliflower
• Chinese Cabbages
• Choi Sums
• Collard Greens
• Daikons
• Horseradishes
• Kailans
• Kale— biennial for most varieties, cropping until they
• Kohlrabis
• Komatsunas
• Lacinato Kale— biennial grown as an annual, or true biennial for winter harvesting
• Land Cresses
• Marrowstem Kale
• Mibunas
• Mizunas— biennial, harvested in its first year as a fast-growing compact plant
• Mustard Greens
• Nine Star Perennial Broccoli— herbaceous perennial, cropping for 3-4 years before decline
• Pak Choi
• Pointed Cabbages
• Radishes
• Rat-tailed Radish
• Red Cabbages
• Red Russian Kale
• Romanesco Broccoli
• Rutabaga
• Savoy Cabbages
• Shepherd's Purses
• Siberian Kale
• Sprouting Broccoli— biennial grown as an annual, or true biennial for overwintering purple sprouting types
• Tatsois
• Thousandhead Kale
• Tree Collards— perennial or partial perennial, living several years
• Turnipsready in 42–70 days
• Wasabis
• White Mustards
• Wild Rockets
• Winter Cresses

Peas & beans27 guidesNitrogen-fixers that leave the soil better than they found it. Follow them with a hungry brassica.

• Adzuki Beans— Frost-tender annual, though the least
• Bambara Groundnuts— Frost-tender annual, ripening its
• Bush BeansHow to grow bush beans anywhere in the world, without a calendar: wait for a soil temperatur
• Chickpeasready in 100–100 days
• Crimson Clovers— PFAF corroborates independently
• Edamame (Soybean)6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–7
• Edible Lupins— Annual/biennial nitrogen-fixing legume
• Fava Beans6+ hours of sun, soil pH
• Green Beans
• Hyacinth Beans— Perennial climber, usually grown as
• Ice-cream Beans— Evergreen tropical tree, fruiting from about two years old
• Lentilsready in 90–90 days
• Lima Beans
• Lucernes
• Mangetouts— Annual, climbing by tendrils, deciduous foliage (RHS)
• Marama Beans— Long-lived perennial with a large tuberous root
• Moth Beans
• Peanutsready in 90–150 days
• Pearl Lupins
• Peas
• Pigeon Peas— Erect annual or short-lived perennial, usually grown as an annual
• Red Clovers
• Rice Beans
• Runner Beans
• Tamarinds— Long-lived evergreen tree, bearing fruit from seven to ten years old
• Winged Beans— Perennial climbing or twining herb, usually grown as a frost-tender annual
• Yardlong Beans

The potato & tomato family14 guidesHungry, blight-prone and best kept together so you can rotate them hard — potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, aubergines.

• Ashwagandha— Tender evergreen shrub, grown as an annual outside USDA
• Chilli Peppers— short-lived perennial (grown as annual)
• Eggplant
• Ground Cherries— Annual, low, sprawling herbaceous plant (Penn State Extension
• Habanero Chillies— Annual or short-lived perennial grown as
• Naranjilla— Tender, fast-growing shrubby perennial, nearly 2m tall (Purdue NewCROP)
• Pepino Dulce
• Peppers
• PotatoesPlant potatoes once the soil has warmed and the danger of frost has passed, wherever you gar
• Rocoto Peppers
• Tamarillos— Fast-growing, tender, woody evergreen
• Tomatillosready in 60–75 days
• Tomatoes
• Wonderberries— Grown as an annual outside the tropics

Roots & tubers28 guidesEverything you dig rather than pick. Most want stone-free, unmanured ground and steady moisture.

• Beets— biennial (requires two growing seasons, but treated as
• Burdock (Gobo)
• Carrots— Biennial (grown as an annual for its root)
• Celeriacs
• Chinese Artichokes— Perennial, grown as an annual root
• Fennel— cool-season annual (Florence fennel)
• Hamburg Parsley
• Jerusalem Artichokes
• Macas— biennial (grown as an annual for its root)
• Mangelwurzels
• Mashuas— Tuberous, climbing perennial
• Ocas— Tuberous, short-day perennial grown as an annual crop
• Parsley
• Parsnipsready in 100–120 days
• Perpetual Spinach
• Pignuts
• Salsify6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6.5–7.5
• Scorzonera
• Sea Beets
• Skirret
• Sugar Beets
• Sweet Fennel
• Sweet Potatoes
• Swiss Chard— biennial (requires two growing seasons, but treated
• Taros— Tuberous, evergreen perennial
• Ullucos— Tender tuberous perennial grown as an annual
• Water Chestnuts
• Yacons

Leaves & salads28 guidesCut-and-come-again crops that reward little and often sowing — the fastest return in the garden.

• Blood AmaranthBlood amaranth will not survive below about 10°C, so timing follows your local last frost
• Callaloos
• Celeryready in 70–84 days
• Chicories
• Chinese Celery) — Biennial, grown as an annual for its
• Corn Salad (Lamb's Lettuce)Are ready to harvest 14–21 days after planting
• Dandelions— Evergreen herbaceous perennial
• Endivesready in 70–100 days
• Epazotes— perennial in warm climates, grown as an annual elsewhere
• French Sorrels— Low-growing, mat-forming herbaceous perennial
• Good King Henry
• Huauzontles
• Ice Plants
• Kaniwa— Annual, and notably frost-tolerant for a warm-season
• Lettuce
• Love-Lies-Bleeding Amaranth
• Malabar Spinach— RHS rates it H1C (5-10°C minimum), needing very warm conditions
• Marsh Samphire— Annual halophyte -- germinates, crops and sets seed within a single season (PFAF
• New Zealand Spinach— Herbaceous, highly branched, sprawling perennial grown as a summer annual
• Oraches
• Purslanes6+ hours of sun
• Shungikus
• Sorrel
• Spinach
• Strawberry Blites
• Water Spinach
• Watercress
• Winter Purslane (Miner's Lettuce)(Claytonia perfoliata) — annual

Squashes & cucumbers16 guidesSprawling, thirsty and frost-tender. Give them room, warmth and more compost than you think.

• Achochas— annual (grown as, perennial in native range)
• Ash Gourds
• Bitter Melons
• Bottle Gourds
• Chayotes
• Cucamelons
• Cucumbers
• Loofahs
• Melons
• Pumpkins— tender plants requiring a long, hot growing season
• Ridge GourdsRidge gourds will not survive below about 15°C, so timing follows your local last frost date
• Shark Fin Melons— RHS treats it as an annual climbing/trailing squash
• Snake GourdsSnake gourds will not survive below about 14°C, so timing follows your local last frost date
• Squash— very tender warm-season annual
• WatermelonsWatermelons will not survive below about 15°C, so timing follows your local last frost date
• Zucchini

Herbs & aromatics52 guidesKitchen herbs, from a windowsill pot of basil to a permanent bay. Most prefer poorer soil and sharper drainage than you would guess.

• Alexanders
• Angelicas
• Bay Laurels— Evergreen shrub or small tree
• Bergamots— Clump-forming herbaceous perennial
• Borage
• Calendulas— Hardy annual (RHS also lists a biennial habit)
• Capers
• Caraways
• Cardamoms— Evergreen rhizomatous perennial
• Chamomiles
• Chervilsready in 56–63 days
• CilantrosAre ready to harvest 70–70 days after planting
• Costmary— Woody-based, rhizomatous herbaceous perennial (RHS
• Cumins
• Curry Leaf— Evergreen perennial shrub or small tree, though it drops its
• Dillready in 42–42 days
• Fenugreeks
• Galangals
• Gingers
• Heartseases— Tufted annual, biennial or short-lived evergreen perennial with small tri-coloured flowers
• Herb Fennel
• Holy Basil— Small, upright, bushy annual (in temperate climates) with highly aromatic, serrated, purpl
• Hyssops— Herbaceous perennial or evergreen sub-shrub with linear, aromatic leaves and spikes of tub
• Lemon Balms— Vigorous, clump-forming perennial herb in the mint family, lemon-scented
• Lemon Thyme— Compact, bushy, mounding evergreen sub-shrub
• Lemongrass— Clump-forming, tender perennial grass
• Lovages
• Marjoram— Tender perennial sub-shrub, usually grown as an annual in cooler climates
• Mitsuba
• Mugwort— Upright, rhizomatous herbaceous perennial
• Myoga Gingers— Aromatic rhizomatous perennial
• Nasturtiums
• Oregano
• Peppermint— Vigorous, rhizomatous, spreading perennial herb
• Rosemary
• Saffron Crocuses— Autumn-flowering perennial corm
• Sage
• Salad Burnet
• Sea Hollies
• Shisos— Bushy, upright annual with toothed, aromatic, often red or purple leaves and insignificant
• Signet Marigolds— Annual, USDA zones 2-11, UK hardiness zone 3 (PFAF)
• Spearmint
• Stevia— Tender perennial usually grown as a half-hardy annual outside USDA zones 10-11 (RHS
• Summer Savories— Bushy hardy annual -- genuinely distinct from the perennial Winter Savory (Satureja montan
• Sweet Basil
• Sweet Cicely
• Szechuan Peppers— Bushy, spiny, deciduous shrub or small tree
• Tarragon
• Thyme
• Turmerics
• Valerians— Cut back to ground level in autumn
• Winter Savories— Dwarf, sub-shrubby, hardy perennial -- genuinely distinct from the annual Summer Savory (S

Fruit & berries34 guidesTrees, canes and bushes that crop for years once established — the longest-term planting decisions you will make.

• Alpine Strawberries— Herbaceous perennial, semi-evergreen
• Apples
• Apricots— Deciduous tree, self-fertile -- only one tree needed for a crop (RHS), though USU Extensio
• Aronias— Small, deciduous, bushy, spreading shrub with glossy dark-green leaves that colour red
• Black Mulberries— Deciduous tree, dioecious or monoecious depending on source population -- Growables.com
• Blackberries
• Blackcurrants
• Blueberries
• Cape Gooseberries
• Cranberries
• Damsons— Deciduous tree, 10-20 years to full maturity
• Figs— Deciduous shrub or small tree
• Goji Berries6+ hours of sun, soil pH 5.5–8
• Gooseberries
• Grapes
• Honeyberries— Very hardy deciduous shrub, a form of edible honeysuckle
• Japanese Wineberries— Deciduous perennial shrub with biennial canes -- roots are perennial, canes fruit in their
• Jostaberries— Deciduous shrub, self-fertile -- RHS confirms self-fertile bushes crop well, with more fru
• Kiwi Fruits— Vigorous, deciduous, woody climber
• Lingonberries
• Loganberries— Deciduous shrub with biennial canes -- each cane grows vegetatively in its first year, fru
• Medlars— Deciduous tree, self-fertile and bee-pollinated -- only one tree is needed for a crop (RHS
• Nectarines— Deciduous fruit tree, self-fertile
• Peaches
• Pears
• Plums— Deciduous tree, 5-10 years to full maturity
• Quinces
• Raspberries
• Redcurrants
• Sea Buckthorns— Deciduous, thorny, dioecious shrub or small tree with narrow, silvery leaves and inconspic
• Sour Cherries— Deciduous tree, self-fertile -- only one tree is needed for a crop (RHS
• Strawberries
• Sweet Cherries
• Tayberries— Deciduous shrub with biennial canes, often thornless or lightly prickled (RHS

Nuts5 guidesLong-lived trees for patient growers. Plan for the eventual canopy, not the sapling.

• Almonds— Deciduous stone-fruit tree, a close cousin of peaches and nectarines but less cold-hardy (
• Hazelnuts— Deciduous, monoecious shrub or small tree bearing separate male catkins and female flowers
• Pine Nuts
• Sweet Chestnuts— Large, vigorous, long-lived deciduous tree
• Walnuts

Grains & pseudo-grains9 guidesCereals, oilseeds and seed crops — practical at allotment scale for green manure, straw and a novelty harvest.

• Buckwheat— Fast-growing, half-hardy annual broadleaf, not a true cereal but often called a pseudocere
• Grain Amaranth
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rye
• Safflowers
• Sesameready in 75–150 days
• Sweet Cornready in 80–95 days
• Wheat

Plant once, harvest for years9 guidesCrops that stay put. Prepare the ground properly before planting, because you will not get another chance.

• Asparagus
• Cardoons
• Daylilies— Herbaceous, clump-forming perennial
• Globe Artichokes
• Hostas— Herbaceous, clump-forming perennial
• Moso Bamboos— Evergreen, running-rhizome bamboo
• Ostrich Ferns— Deciduous, stoloniferous fern
• Rhubarb
• Sea Kale

More crops to try2 guidesThe rest of the collection — unusual, ornamental-edible and specialist crops.

• Okras
• Sunflowers6+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–7.5

Planning tools & reference1 pagesThe calendars, planners and problem-solving guides that sit alongside the crop guides.

• Vegetable Planting Calendar