Harvest calendar at a glance
Approximate windows for most of England and Wales. Scotland and northern England: push back by 1–2 weeks. South West and Ireland: slightly earlier.
Month by month — what's actually ready
Sowing calendars tell you when to plant. This is the other half — what should actually be coming off the plot each month, and what to watch for.
January
Slim pickings, but not nothing — leeks, kale, and parsnips can all still be lifted through hard ground. Parsnips in particular taste better after frost has converted their starches to sugar. Check stored potatoes, onions, and squash and remove anything starting to soften or sprout before it spreads to the rest.
February
Much the same as January — leeks and kale carry the garden, and any remaining stored crops should be checked over. If you've got overwintering broad beans in, they're still weeks away. This is more a planning month than a harvesting one.
March
Very little to harvest yet for most growers, though early sowings under cover of salad leaves and radishes from late winter can start cropping. The real harvest season is still ahead — this is the month to be sowing, not picking.
April
The first proper harvests of the year start to appear: early outdoor lettuce and salad leaves from late-winter sowings, and the last of the stored leeks and kale clearing space for what's coming next.
May
Broad beans sown the previous autumn start cropping towards the end of the month in mild areas. Early lettuce, radishes, and spring onions are coming through steadily. Asparagus, if you grow it, is in full season.
June
Early potatoes are usually ready once the plants flower — check by lifting at the edge of a row rather than waiting for a perfect sign. Garlic planted the previous autumn is typically ready this month or next, once the lower leaves yellow. Broad beans and the first peas are in full flow, and lettuce and salad crops are cropping steadily.
July
Peak early-summer harvesting. Courgettes need checking daily — they go from perfect to oversized within 48 hours in warm weather. Second early potatoes, onions, and the first runner and French beans are ready. Garlic that hasn't been lifted in June almost certainly needs to come out now.
August
The garden is at its most demanding. Tomatoes ripen steadily through the month. Courgettes, beans, beetroot, and carrots all need regular picking to keep plants productive. Onions are usually fully ready and ready to cure for storage.
September
Squash and pumpkins should come in before any risk of frost and be cured in the sun for storage. Tomatoes continue if the weather holds, and green ones can be ripened indoors once it doesn't. Main crop potatoes are often lifted this month, once the tops have died back.
October
Root vegetable month — carrots, parsnips, beetroot, and celeriac are at their best and can often be left in the ground and lifted as needed. Leeks are now in full season and will stand through winter.
November
Leeks, kale, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts carry the plot. Most summer crops are finished and cleared by now. Anything left in the ground — leeks, parsnips, kale — is generally hardy enough to sit through frost without harm.
December
Leeks, kale, and parsnips can still be picked through frozen or wet ground when needed. This is the quietest harvesting month of the year — most of the work now is planning for the one ahead, not picking.
Related guides
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