At a Glance
This article serves as a complete guide to growing and harvesting vegetables, fruits, and herbs for a traditional Christmas feast. It outlines a month-by-month planting schedule, essential crop lists, and key tips for soil preparation, pest control, and storage, so your homegrown produce is ready for a fresh, festive meal.
Farm to Feast- A Complete Christmas Vegetable Growing Schedule
No traditional Christmas feast is complete without a side of roast potatoes, stuffing with herbs like rosemary and thyme, and roasted vegetables like Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips, and red cabbage. Dessert is equally important, and you might want to finish the meal with a fresh fruit-filled tart or pie.
While all this produce is available to buy at the supermarket, what can make your festive meal even more special is serving freshly grown fruits and veggies from your allotment for a true farm-to-table experience.
Have you missed the Christmas harvest window for this year? If you plan on growing vegetables for Christmas, you need to start early in the year. We have listed some winter allotment jobs that can help you maximise your time and make the most of the growing season to get all your produce ready in time for Christmas next year.
To prepare allotment for Christmas veg for the next year, begin sowing as early as March, when the last frost has passed. If you have access to polytunnels, cold frames or a greenhouse, you can get started in winter itself. At Allotment Online, we offer detailed growing guides for the crops on your Christmas vegetables list. See our website for more information on growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs.
Top vegetables to Grow for Your Christmas Feast
The must-have Christmas vegetables list to grow yourself includes:
- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Turnips
- Onions
- Brussels sprouts
- Amarnath
- Pak choi
- Kale
- Corn
- Peas
- Swiss chard
- Salad greens like lettuce, mustard, and rocket leaves
- Herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage
- Parsnips
- Fruits like cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries
When to Plant Veggies and Herbs for Your Christmas Dinner
Growing vegetables for Christmas requires early planning and sowing to ensure everything is ready on time. Did you miss this year’s sowing schedule? Don’t let it bog you down. Get a head start on fellow growers by undertaking winter allotment jobs this year.
Here is a quick sowing and planting schedule to follow:
January-March
If you love freshly made cranberry jams, this is the right time to sow this bare-root fruit tree. If you’re short on space, you can also grow cranberries in containers.
For your Christmas potato roast, early spring or late winter is the best time to start potato chitting. Some hardy and early planting vegetables to try during winter are overwintering onions and garlic. Some hardy greens like kale, broad beans and winter spinach can also be grown during winter.
To get ample produce and an early start, protect young plants from frost and cold temperatures by keeping them in a polytunnel, a greenhouse or covered by a horticulture cloche or fleece.
April
The arrival of spring is the busiest time in the allotment, with the last of the frost passing and the ground defrosting. If you’re keen to grow veg for Christmas, April is the time to start sowing most seeds.
Some of the seeds you can sow from our Christmas vegetables list include parsnips, carrots, leeks, and Brussels sprouts.
May-June
May and June are also busy on the allotment, with most growers in full swing, preparing and growing vegetables for Christmas. During this season, you’ll also need to keep an eye out for weeds and pests, which can affect your early-sown crops. The early-sown leeks will now be ready for transplanting into the soil, while the first early potatoes should be ready for harvest.
Some of the seeds to be sown during May and June include cabbage, kale, green beans, and swede.
With summer approaching, keep watering your plants and make support structures for creepers like beans.
July-August
Your early-sown garlic and onions are now ready for harvest. You can store them in a cool, dry and well-ventilated place until Christmas. Make sure your produce is completely dried in the sun before storing. Mesh or paper bags are the best way to store your veggies.
If you find any of your crops affected by diseases or pests, you can buy plug plants and sow them at the latest by July. Seeds sown in July are unlikely to be ready for harvest in time for the festive feast.
You can also plant short-root carrots if you forgot to sow them earlier or your crops got destroyed.
September-Novemeber
Any late-sown carrots and potatoes may now be ready for harvest. Keep picking them as and when they’re ready.
Leeks, tomatoes, beans, and pumpkins are also ready to be harvested during September and October. Brussels sprouts, beetroot, spinach, chard, and parsnips can be picked at the end of October and early November. Some vegetables benefit from a frost, which can improve their flavour profile drastically.
You can start growing brassicas like cabbage and Brussels sprouts in November to prep for next year’s Christmas. They are resilient when started under cover during winter.
Our monthly growing guide can help you with the allotment jobs you need to do every month.
Tips to Start An Early Prep For Next Year’s Christmas
Planning and growing vegetables for Christmas next year can be easy and stress-free if you follow some basic planting tips. If this is your first time growing produce for your Christmas meal, here’s what you can do:
Choose the Right Location
Your plants will thrive in sunny locations, so find a spot in your allotment that gets maximum sunlight throughout the year. The south and south-west corner is favourable, as even during autumn-winter, your plants should receive five to six hours of sun. Winter veggies should be grown against a wall to protect them from wind and rain.
If your allotment lacks space or your area experiences heavy rainfall, opt for container growing or raised beds.
Use Winter Protection
To make the most of the winter months and have an early start to grow veg for Christmas, you can sow overwintering crops under protection. Having access to a greenhouse or polytunnel can be highly beneficial. For those who lack access to it, you can use a growing light and keep the plants indoors to aid in germination.
In regions with comparatively warmer winter temperatures, you can plant outdoors in containers, but keep the plant protected by covering it horticulture fleece or cloches.
Prep the Soil
Ensure your soil is well-drained, as waterlogging can damage the roots. Before sowing your vegetables, dig the soil and break the clumps. This allows for better drainage and aeration, allowing the roots to breathe. You should also remove weeds to prevent overwintering pests from hibernating, and mix mulch and compost.
One of the winter allotment jobs to do in preparation for the following year’s Christmas harvest is to start composting. This will ensure your soil is prepped for next year’s spring.
Plant Your Crops
Make sure to plan your Christmas meal well in advance, so you’ve got plenty of time to grow and harvest the vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Having a proper plan will allow you to follow good growing practices, such as crop rotation and companion planting to maintain soil health, deterring pests and yielding quality produce.
Early planting vegetables and overwintering crops will help you get ahead with the Christmas harvest schedule. You can store the early harvest in cold storage and take them out just in time for your festive meal.
Buying Seeds
One of the important winter allotment jobs is to order seeds in preparation. This is the time to order seeds from catalogues, as outdoor work is limited. Find the variant most compatible with the UK climate and soil conditions.
Look Out for Pests and Diseases
Monitor your vegetable patch for signs of pests, like rodents, pigeons, and foxes, especially when your plants are young. Fungal and bacterial diseases can also destroy all your crops if they’re not spotted in time. Look for signs such as yellowing leaves and black or white spores. Immediately remove the affected part of the plant to avoid mass destruction.
Recipes to Try With Fresh Produce from Your Garden
Here are some easy Christmas roast vegetable recipes using produce from your allotment:
Pan Roasted Christmas Vegetables
1. Dice carrots, potatoes, parsnips, onions, and cloves of garlic.
2. (Optional) slightly parboil the hard vegetables to speed up the process.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
4. Place all the vegetables in a large tray. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and fresh twigs of rosemary and thyme.
5. Roast for 30 minutes, turning the tray mid-way through to allow uniform cooking.
Honey Roasted Winter Vegetables
1. Gather squash or pumpkin, celeriac, parsnips, carrots, beetroot, and potatoes.
2. Cut the vegetables into cubes of around the same size, which allows for uniform cooking.
3. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
4. Toss the vegetables in olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5. Place them on a tray with thyme and rosemary sprigs.
6. Roast for 30 minutes, turning them once in the middle.
7. Whisk together honey, orange juice, and orange zest.
8. Toss the vegetables in the glaze, then bake for a further five minutes to get a lovely, caramelised colour.
Learn More About Growing Veggies At Allotment Online
Growing vegetables for a Christmas meal can be a fulfilling experience. If you’re growing veg for Christmas for the first time, start with something easy like carrots, potatoes, and salad leaves. With proper planning and care, you’ll be able to grow all the vegetables you need for the perfect roast.
Looking for more advice on when to plant vegetables for Christmas or how to take care of your crops? Our website has answers to all your growing-related questions. Sign up for our newsletter to get access to different recipes, as well as plenty of growing tips and tricks.