It’s the question asked by millions of gardeners as we approach spring: When can I start sowing vegetables outside?
There’s plenty you can plant in February, but many of the options are better suited to indoor sowing. Not all of them, though – in fact, there are a fair few vegetables that can be sown outdoors round about now, give or take a few pieces of gardening kit.
I asked seed and plant supplier Fothergill’s when we can start sowing vegetables outside, and the answer was far more optimistic than I expected it to be.
February might be a winter month, but there’s actually a huge range of vegetables you can get started now.
Not just indoors, either. There are lots of vegetables you can plant under cloches in February, like carrots and kale, to give them that little bit of extra protection while late winter frosts are still lurking around (that's where a tunnel cloche like this Christow Grow Tunnel from Amazon can come in handy).
What I really wanted to know, though, was when we can start sowing vegetables directly into the ground outside without needing to protect the plants from frost. As it turns out, that window is right around the corner – and usually, the sweet spot is the middle of March.
‘March is when things really get exciting in the vegetable garden, especially as the soil gradually warms up,’ says Rachel Cole, seed manager at Fothergill’s.
The list of things you can plant in March is huge, but the most important thing to keep in mind is the soil temperature. When it’s too low, your vegetable seeds will have a harder time germinating. Soil thermometers like this one from Amazon are invaluable for keeping track.
‘The temperature to look for is anything above 5°C ideally, as you want your soil temperature above this before sowing,’ says Rachel. ‘10°C is the optimum temperature, as the crops will germinate faster.
‘Sow too early, and your seeds will simply sit dormant in the cold ground, waiting for warmer conditions.’
So, 5°C is the minimum, but 10°C is the sweet spot if you want to get your vegetables off to a strong start. Usually, we start reaching those temperatures around the middle of March, which is just weeks away.
Of course, it also depends on the type of vegetable you want to sow. Some brassicas are best sown indoors at this time of the year, for example, but you can sow peas (early varieties like ‘Meteor’ from Thompson & Morgan are my favourites), beetroot varieties like ‘Boltardy’ (order the Fothergill's seeds from Amazon) and other hardy vegetables outdoors now.
‘Remember, fruiting crops like tomatoes, peppers, and aubergines start later in the year, so there's no need to rush with these,’ Rachel adds.
The most important thing is to keep an eye on the weather forecast. Few vegetables appreciate a sudden drop in temperature, so it’s wise to have some outdoor plant covers or even some DIY cloche ideas to hand, just in case.
‘If the weather turns cold again, protect the ground with a horticultural fleece or cloches to help shield seeds and young seedlings from damage,’ advises David Glass, head gardener at Bowood Estate.
Late winter frost protection
Just in case the frosts do strike again...
The weather and the soil temperature are the best guidelines for working out when to start sowing vegetables outside, but check the timings on the back of the seed packet to make sure you aren't starting in the wrong season!
