What to plant in January in the UK

Worked out for 40 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in January in the UK, by zone: frost possible, highs below 10 °C (London, Manchester and 38 more): broad bean, peas, spinach, radish, cabbage and 5 more.

In the UK, January is winter.

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 36 more

In January, on average, these cities have highs of 5 to 10 °C and lows of 0 to 7 °C, 50 to 150 mm of rain on 10 to 17 days; the day lasts 7 h 17 min to 8 h 29 min (on the 15th).

January falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait.

How	What	Where
start indoors, plant out in February or sow direct	Broad bean, spinach	all
sow direct	Peas, radish	London, Manchester, Edinburgh and 29 more
plant sets	Onion	Cardiff, Liverpool, Swansea and 5 more
start indoors, plant out in March or sow direct	Cabbage, broccoli	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Leek	London, Bristol, Leeds and 18 more
start indoors, plant out in March	Parsley, Brussels sprouts	London, Bristol, Leeds and 19 more
start indoors, plant out in February	Kohlrabi	London, Bristol, Leeds and 19 more

Compared with December: new — leek, parsley and Brussels sprouts; no longer sown — garlic, crocus, daffodil, hyacinth, tulip, arugula and turnip.

Not starting in January: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (April, started indoors), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and lettuce (March, started indoors) — dates for Nottingham.

Ready to harvest in January in Nottingham, if sown in the right month: broad bean (October), peas (November), spinach (November), radish (December), cabbage (September) and broccoli (October).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in January and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in January if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 16–27 °C and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 4 °C, semi-hardy ones from 4–10 °C (we use 10 °C); warm-season crops need days above 13 °C, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, aubergine, melon, watermelon, squash) above 16 °C, up to 35 °C. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Broad beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in autumn and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page). French beans, courgettes and outdoor tomatoes follow the RHS instead, in months without frost: French beans and courgettes sown outdoors in late May or early June, courgettes also started indoors in April or May; tomatoes started indoors from late March to early April and planted out in June where its average highs reach 16 °C.

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.

What to plant in January in the UK

Frost possible, highs below 10 °C: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 36 more

How we work it out

Other months in the UK