When to sow Seakale in the UK
Seakale is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Seakale is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| East Anglia | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Northern England | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Northern Ireland | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to mid April | late May to late June | late February to early May |
Growing notes
Rub the seed with sandpaper before sowing to speed germination, and transplant seedlings 45cm apart each way once 10cm tall. It takes about two years to reach cropping size: cover the crowns with an upturned bucket in late winter to blanch the shoots, cut them at 10-20cm, then stop cutting in May and let the plant recover. Crops for about seven years.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 45 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 45 cm
- Plants per m²
- 4
- Yield per plant
- 0.3 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 40 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 40 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
Bare-root season
Bare-root stock is lifted and sold while dormant, from early November to early March. Container-grown plants can go in at other times of year, but bare-root is cheaper and establishes well.
How long until it crops
Expect the first worthwhile pick about 2 years after planting, and a productive life of roughly 7 years.
What usually goes wrong
- slugs
- snails
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for seakale.