What to plant in July in the UK

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

What to sow and plant in July in the UK, by zone: frost-free, highs of 22–28 °C (London, Southampton and 2 more): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, carrot and 31 more; frost-free, highs of 16–22 °C (Manchester, Edinburgh and 34 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 18 more.

In the UK, July is summer.

Frost-free, highs of 22–28 °C: London, Southampton, Oxford and Cambridge

In July, on average, these cities have highs of 22 to 23 °C and lows of 13 to 14 °C, 54 to 66 mm of rain on 10 to 12 days; the day lasts 16 h 06 min to 16 h 19 min (on the 15th).

No frost in July in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, sweet corn, parsley, cilantro, arugula, bok choy, borage, chamomile, chayote, chickpea, corn, dill, Florence fennel, kale, kiwano, kohlrabi, mustard greens, Napa cabbage, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in August	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in September	Leek, Brussels sprouts	all
sow direct	Watermelon, pumpkin, basil, peanut, soybean	London and Cambridge

Compared with June: new — leek and soybean; no longer sown — radish, zucchini, green beans, cucumber, melon and achocha.

Not starting in July: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (April, started indoors), zucchini (April, started indoors), green beans (May, sown direct) and spinach (August, started indoors) — dates for Southampton.

Ready to harvest in July in Southampton, if sown in the right month: broad bean (April), peas (May), lettuce (May), radish (June), carrot (May), cabbage (March), broccoli (April) and Swiss chard (May).

Frost-free, highs of 16–22 °C: Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and 32 more

In July, on average, these cities have highs of 18 to 22 °C and lows of 11 to 16 °C, 53 to 132 mm of rain on 9 to 19 days; the day lasts 16 h 01 min to 17 h 24 min (on the 15th).

No frost in July in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, carrot, cabbage, broccoli, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, dill, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, parsnip	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in August	Spinach	Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and 17 more
sow direct	Radish, daikon	Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and 24 more
start indoors, plant out in August	Cauliflower	all
start indoors, plant out in September	Leek, Brussels sprouts	Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool and 10 more
sow direct	Sweet Corn, bok choy, borage, chayote, corn, Florence fennel, kiwano, Napa cabbage	Norwich, Lincoln (United Kingdom), Ipswich and 1 more
sow direct	Chickpea	Bristol, Leicester, Coventry and 6 more
start indoors, plant out in August	Chicory	Glasgow, Belfast, Plymouth and 6 more
sow direct	Turnip	Plymouth, Aberdeen, Stirling and 1 more

Compared with June: no longer sown — zucchini, green beans, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, achocha and 1 more.

Not starting in July: tomato (March, started indoors), bell pepper (no month outdoors by these rules), zucchini (April, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Bradford.

Ready to harvest in July in Bradford, if sown in the right month: broad bean (April), peas (May), spinach (May), lettuce (May), radish (June), carrot (May), cabbage (March) and broccoli (April).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in July 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 July 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 July in the UK

Frost-free, highs of 22–28 °C: London, Southampton, Oxford and Cambridge

Frost-free, highs of 16–22 °C: Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow and 32 more

How we work it out

Other months in the UK