HALF-HARDYSTART INDOORS · SOW · PLANT
Lettuce
Succession sow; provide shade and moisture in hot spells.
Track this plant →FREE GARDEN TOOL
What Can I Plant Now?
Build a practical planting shortlist using your location, current weather signal, hemisphere and historical frost context.
Make the next garden decision with less guesswork.
Enter a town or postcode to combine the seasonal crop window with a seven-day forecast and a ten-year frost pattern. Tender crops are held back when near-freezing nights are indicated, while hardy crops remain visible when the season still suits them.
The engine starts from broad cool-temperate planting windows, shifts them for Southern Hemisphere locations, then overlays short-range minimum temperature, rainfall and historical frost context. Soil temperature, variety, elevation, shelter and microclimate can still move the real window earlier or later.
Put the result into a real garden situation.
Suppose the calendar says early spring but the next seven nights still include temperatures close to freezing. Hardy crops such as peas, spinach or radish may remain reasonable candidates while frost-sensitive beans, courgettes or tomatoes should not be treated as ready simply because the month changed. The shortlist is designed to narrow the decision, not to force a sowing date.
SEASONAL LOGIC
Understand the answer, not just the number.
A crop may appear in an April sowing window, but a cold exposed garden can still be several weeks behind a sheltered urban garden at the same latitude. Use the shortlist to decide what to investigate or sow next, then check the soil and short-range weather.
Planting calendars are most useful when they narrow the choices without pretending a date is universal. Frost exposure, soil temperature, drainage, altitude, variety and whether a crop is under cover can all shift the practical sowing window.
Direct-sown crops also respond differently from transplants. A hardy pea or radish can tolerate conditions that would stall or damage a tender courgette. The tool therefore aims to create a useful next-action list rather than one rule for every crop.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Does ‘plant now’ mean it is safe in every garden?
No. It means the broad seasonal window is open for the selected profile. Frost pockets, cold soil and unusual weather can still make waiting the better choice.
Why does my local advice differ from this tool?
Local growers may know a microclimate that a broad profile cannot capture. That local knowledge should take priority when it is based on conditions in your area.