Planning Your Seed Orders for the Year Ahead

A Month-by-Month Guide for UK Gardeners

Planning your seed orders in advance is one of the simplest ways to enjoy a more productive, colourful, and stress-free gardening year. Whether you’re growing flowers, vegetables, or a bit of both, knowing what to sow and when helps you avoid missed windows, impulse buys, and empty seed trays.

This guide will help you plan your seed orders for the entire year — perfectly suited to the UK climate.

🌱 Why Plan Your Seed Orders Early?

Planning ahead isn’t just for organised gardeners — it’s for successful ones.

Benefits of seed planning:

• 🌼 Never miss the ideal sowing window
• 🥕 Spread costs across the year
• 🐝 Choose varieties that support pollinators
• 🌿 Avoid last-minute out-of-stock disappointments
• 📅 Create a steady sowing rhythm instead of overwhelm

 

🗓 Your UK Seed Planning Calendar

🌷 Spring (March–May): The Big Sowing Season

Spring is when most gardeners buy the bulk of their seeds.

Seeds to order early:

• Sweet peas
• Sunflowers
• Tomatoes
• Courgettes
• Lettuce & salad leaves
• Cosmos & zinnias

Top tip:
Order these seeds by late winter, so you’re ready as soon as temperatures rise.

 

☀ Summer (June–August): Succession & Autumn Crops

Summer isn’t just for harvesting — it’s for planning ahead.

Seeds to order mid-year:

• Carrots (late sowings)
• Beetroot
• Kale & chard
• Spring cabbage
• Biennial flowers (foxgloves, wallflowers)

Keyword win: vegetable seeds for autumn planting UK

 

🍂 Autumn (September–October): Think Spring Colour

Autumn is ideal for sowing hardy seeds that overwinter quietly.

Autumn seed stars:

• Sweet peas (again!)
• Hardy annuals
• Wildflowers
• Broad beans

Why now?
Plants develop stronger roots and flower earlier in spring.

 

❄ Winter (November–February): Dream & Prepare

Winter is planning season — not planting season (mostly!).

What to order in winter:

• Tomato & chilli seeds
• Slow-growing flowers
• Rare or heritage varieties
• Microgreens for indoor growing

Bonus:
Winter orders often mean better availability and time to plan your layout.

 

🌸 Balancing Flowers & Vegetables

When planning seed orders, aim for balance:

• Flowers attract pollinators and boost wellbeing
• Vegetables save money and taste better fresh

Great flower & veg pairings:

• Marigolds + tomatoes
• Nasturtiums + courgettes
• Sweet peas + brassicas

This supports companion planting and healthier gardens 🌿

 

♻ Buy Smarter, Not More

Before ordering:

• Check last year’s seed stash
• Note expiry dates
• Prioritise varieties you actually grow

Eco-friendly tip:
Choose open-pollinated seeds so you can save seeds for next year.

 

📋 Simple Seed Planning Checklist

✔ List what you grew last year
✔ Note what worked (and what didn’t)
✔ Decide on new varieties to try
✔ Plan sowing months
✔ Order seeds in batches by season

 

🌼 Make Seed Planning Part of the Joy

Seed planning isn’t a chore — it’s where the magic begins. Every packet holds a story waiting to grow, from the first sowing to the final bloom or harvest.

By planning your seed orders for the year ahead, you’re setting yourself up for a calmer, more rewarding gardening journey.

 

🌱 Ready to Get Started?

Explore our curated collection of UK-friendly flower and vegetable seeds and start planning your year the Seed Stories way.

👉 Shop our seeds and grow your story.