October 2026 · Durham planting calendar
When to sow, plant and pick in Durham.
Planting dates calibrated to real frost history for Durham, not a generic UK calendar.
In season now
What to grow now in Durham
Garlic
last month to plant out
Plant out September to October, harvest May to August. Typical frost risk October to May.
Elephant Garlic
last month to plant out
Plant out September to October, harvest April to July. Typical frost risk October to May.
Rhubarb
plant out until Nov
Plant out October to November, harvest March to July. Typical frost risk October to May.
Strawberry
plant out until Dec
Plant out August to December, harvest June to July. Typical frost risk October to May.
Blueberry
plant out until Feb
Plant out September to February, harvest August to October. Typical frost risk October to May.
Based on 30-year averages · keep an eye on the forecast
Your garden in When to Plant
A place for everything you’re growing.
Turn planting dates into a plan for your own patch. Create a garden to keep your plants, next jobs and growing notes in one place.
Create your gardenStart free with up to 5 active plants.
Keep your plants together
Add what you’re growing, from a few pots to an allotment.
Know what to do next
Follow growing steps timed to your garden’s location.
See how your garden grows
Tick off jobs and add notes as you go, from sowing to harvest.
Calibrated to Durham
Two dates set the growing year in Durham.
Every sowing, planting-out and harvest window on this site is worked out from the average last spring frost and first autumn frost in Durham, taken from 30 years of Met Office records, and what each plant can put up with.
They're averages, not promises. A late frost can still flatten your courgettes, so keep an eye on the forecast. That's gardening.
Where the dates come from →Average frost dates for Durham
- Average last spring frost
- around 10 May
- Average first autumn frost
- around 16 Oct
- Average frost-free days
- ≈ 159
Same tomato, different towns
Penzance
average last frost around 23 Mar · about 247 frost-free days on average
Sow indoors February, plant out April, harvest June to November. Typical frost risk November to March.
Edinburgh
average last frost around 4 May · about 165 frost-free days on average
Sow indoors March to April, plant out May to June, harvest August to October. Typical frost risk October to May.
Durham (your town)
average last frost around 10 May · about 159 frost-free days on average
Sow indoors March to April, plant out May to June, harvest August to October. Typical frost risk October to May.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · 30-year averages
From the blog
10 Aug 2026
UK Drought 2026: How to Keep Your Garden Alive (Even With Hosepipe Bans)
Hosepipe bans don't mean a dead garden: what to water first, how to stretch every litre, and what's still worth planting.
Read the blog →Find a plant for Durham.
Search by name, or browse what's in season above. Every date stays worked out for Durham.