- Feel Good
- 29th Apr 2026
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- 0 minute
This month-by-month kitchen garden guide makes it foolproof
The kitchen garden has had a serious glow-up.
Once the preserve of country estates and allotment veterans, growing your own has become one of the most satisfying, stylish, and surprisingly straightforward things you can do with your outdoor space, however modest it might be.
A small, raised bed, a sunny corner, a run of terracotta pots along a wall – that’s all you need to get started. And with April marking the real beginning of the growing season in the North East, now is the perfect time to dig in.
Here’s your month-by-month guide to what to grow and when, plus everything you need to make your kitchen garden look as good as it produces.
YOUR MONTH-BY-MONTH GROWING GUIDE
April: Sow and prepare
April is your starting gun. The soil is warming up and the days are getting longer, which means it’s time to get seeds in the ground (or into pots) and raised beds prepped and ready. This is the month for sowing salad leaves, radishes, spring onions and spinach directly outdoors — all of which will thrive in a container or a small raised bed. Start courgettes, tomatoes, chillies and basil off indoors on a sunny windowsill, as they need a little longer to establish before the risk of frost has passed. Herbs like parsley, coriander and chives can go outside now too. If you’re working with pots or containers, now is the time to refresh your compost and get everything clean and ready.
May: Plant out and watch things grow
By mid-May, the last frosts should be behind us and you can start hardening off (gradually introducing to outdoor temperatures) any seedlings you’ve been nurturing on the windowsill. Tomatoes, courgettes and sweet peppers can move outside by the end of the month. Direct sow beetroot, French beans, and more salad leaves outdoors. This is also the month to get strawberry plants in, they’ll reward you well come July. Keep an eye on watering as temperatures rise, and give everything a feed with a general purpose liquid fertiliser.
June: Maintain and enjoy early harvests
June is when the garden really starts to deliver. Salad leaves, radishes and spring onions sown in April will be ready to pick, so start enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of your labour. Keep tomatoes supported with canes and pinch out side shoots to direct energy into the fruit. Sow a second round of salad leaves and radishes for a continuous harvest through summer. Courgettes will start to establish and grow fast, so check on them regularly. Herbs will be in full swing — don’t be shy about picking them, it encourages bushier growth.
July and August: Peak season
This is what you’ve been working towards. Tomatoes, courgettes, French beans, beetroot and herbs will all be cropping heavily. Harvest regularly to keep plants productive. Keep watering consistently, especially during any dry spells, and continue feeding tomatoes and peppers with a high-potash feed (like tomato feed) every week or two. Sow autumn salads like rocket and lamb’s lettuce now for harvests into October.
September and October: Wind down and harvest the last
Autumn is still productive. Lift any remaining beetroot and store it, and keep harvesting tomatoes even if they’re not fully ripe — they’ll ripen beautifully on a windowsill indoors. Clear spent plants and compost them. This is a great time to plant garlic directly into the ground or into deep containers for a harvest next summer. Spring onions sown now will overwinter and be ready early next year.
WHAT TO GROW IF SPACE IS TIGHT
If you’re working with a small garden, a patio or a yard, focus on high-yield, high-reward crops that work brilliantly in containers. Tomatoes (especially cherry varieties like Tumbling Tom or Gardener’s Delight), salad leaves, herbs, courgettes (one plant will feed a household), chillies, spring onions and radishes are all brilliant choices. A 60cm raised bed or a handful of good-sized pots is genuinely all you need to get a productive, beautiful little kitchen garden going.
THE KIT EDIT: 10 STYLISH FINDS FOR YOUR KITCHEN GARDEN
Because a well-designed outdoor space deserves tools and accessories to match.
Burgon and Ball – Sophie Conran Heart-shaped Trowel – £23.49
The collab that rewrote the rules on garden tools. This set combines proper horticultural quality with a design-led handle that looks genuinely beautiful propped up in a pot.
Elho – Green Basics Grow House – £19.99
A compact, well-designed mini greenhouse for starting seeds on a windowsill or balcony. Made from recycled plastic, it does a brilliant job of protecting early seedlings and looks far more considered than a plastic propagator tray.
Haws – The Cradley Cascader Watering Can – £35.99
The Haws watering can is a design icon for a reason. With its long, elegant rose and balanced weight, it makes the daily watering routine feel like something worth doing properly. The sage green colourway is particularly good.
Nutley’s Kitchen Gardens – Reuseable Green Potato Bag – £5.95
This durable green potato bag has a fantastic capacity for up to five seed potatoes in each bag. If you use three bags, you can spread the harvest over a longer period of time.
Finnish Design Shop – 10l FABRIC GROW BAG – £31.10
Fabric grow bags have quietly become the go-to for container growing, and Bacsac makes the best of the best. Lightweight, breathable, and surprisingly chic in a natural taupe or slate, they work brilliantly for tomatoes, courgettes or potatoes.
Niwaki – Higurashi secateurs – £70.00
If you’re going to invest in one proper tool, make it a decent pair of secateurs. Niwaki’s Higurashi range is beautifully made, comfortable to use, and will last forever with a good care. Essential for harvesting, deadheading and keeping plants in shape.
Period House Store – Otterton Terracotta Planter – £40.00
Terracotta never goes out of style, and for good reason — it’s breathable, beautiful and ages brilliantly. A large ribbed terracotta pot is the perfect home for herbs, tomatoes or a courgette plant, and looks as good in a modern yard as it does in a cottage garden. Around £40.
The Hampshire Seed Co. – Heirloom Tomatoes Seed Collection Gift Box – £23.95
Grow something a little different this year. This heirloom tomato collection includes varieties you won’t find in a supermarket — from Garden Peach to the deeply flavoured Black Krim. Packaged beautifully and a lovely gift too.
Christow – Apex Cold Frame Greenhouse – £99.99
For North East gardeners who want to extend the season, a compact greenhouse is a game-changer. With an apex roof and three tiers of shelving, it’s ideal for protecting plants, seedlings and veg while extending the growing season.
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