The Veg Cart — A greengrocer's produce counter: how | thevegcart.com
Vegetables are cheapest, tastiest and longest-keeping in their own season. This calendar gives the typical peak months for each common crop in a temperate Northern-Hemisphere climate.
Seasonality matters for storage as much as for flavour. A vegetable harvested at its peak arrives with full moisture and intact skin, so it survives its whole storage window; the same vegetable grown out of season or shipped long distances often spoils days early. The spans below are typical field seasons — local timing shifts a few weeks with latitude and weather.
Spring (March-May) brings the short, delicate crops: asparagus peaks April to June, early salad leaves and spring onions run from April, and the first peas appear in May. These are the most perishable vegetables of the year — treat spring greens with the dry-towel wrap described on the main storage page.
Summer (June-August) is the glut season: green beans and peas June to September, courgettes June to September, cucumbers and tomatoes July to September, sweetcorn August to September. This is the moment to use the freezing method — blanched summer beans and peas keep 10-12 months at -18 °C and cost a fraction of winter imports.
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Autumn (September-November) is harvest time for the keepers: main-crop potatoes and onions in September and October, carrots, beetroot and parsnips through autumn, pumpkins and squashes September to November, leeks from September. These are the vegetables that fill the dark 7-10 °C box and the high-humidity crisper for months.
Winter (December-February) belongs to brassicas and stored roots: Brussels sprouts November to February, kale and cabbage through winter, plus stored potatoes, onions, carrots and parsnips from the autumn harvest. Salad leaves and cucumbers in winter are greenhouse or imported produce — check them carefully using the ripeness guide before buying.
A note on year-round availability: supermarkets blur every season with imports and cold storage. The calendar marks when each vegetable is at its best and usually cheapest, not the only time it can be found.
Further reading