01
Early outdoor clearance
August to early September
Quick leaves and roots can use remaining warmth. Keep sowings small and choose varieties suited to the season.
UK succession guide
What to plant after tomatoes.
Tomatoes belongs to the potato and tomato family. The strongest follow-on choice depends on the exact clearance date—not the crop name alone.
Check my date and regionShort answer
Start with these credible options.
These are useful directions, not automatic recommendations. Use the tool to check whether the sowing window still fits.
- 01
Spinach
Fast leaves and a strong fit after summer crops.
Read the growing guide → - 02
Rocket
Fast, high-value leaves with a small footprint.
Read the growing guide → - 03
Garlic
Uses winter space efficiently and stores for months after curing.
Read the growing guide → - 04
Broad beans
One of the earliest productive legumes and a useful succession starting point.
Read the growing guide →
When the space opens
Usually September to October outdoors, often later under cover, or immediately when blight makes the crop untenable.
- What the bed is like
- A sunny, supported growing space after a demanding crop, sometimes with pots, grow bags or soil carrying diseased debris.
- The key decision
- First decide whether the crop finished normally or because of suspected blight. Hygiene and growing medium matter more after disease than a fast handover.
Choose by clearance date
The answer changes as the season moves.
These bands are starting points. Use the seed packet and the personalised tool for your region, cover and exact date.
02
Main outdoor finish
Mid-September to October
Move from winter leaves toward garlic or a suitable hardy bean as light and temperature fall.
03
Greenhouse finish
October onward under cover
Hardy salads can use protected soil, but growth will slow. Ventilate and do not assume a greenhouse is frost-free.
Clear the old crop well
Reset the space before replanting.
- 1
Remove fruit and supports
Harvest usable fruit, take down strings and canes, and clean reusable supports before the next crop.
- 2
Separate healthy and diseased debris
Do not leave blighted foliage or fruit around the growing space. Follow current local guidance for disposal rather than spreading infected material.
- 3
Assess pots, bags and greenhouse soil
Do not assume every container needs throwing away or every border needs replacing. Match hygiene and renewal to the diagnosed problem and next crop.
Avoid a poor handover
Two details worth checking
Avoid potatoes after a blight problem
Tomatoes and potatoes share the same family and can share blight. Do not use an immediate potato follow-on where blight affected the crop.
Do not overfeed winter salads
The successor grows slowly in weak light. Clear old fertiliser residue where appropriate and use a suitable medium rather than adding strong feed automatically.
Questions small growers ask
Specific answers for this handover
What can I plant after tomatoes in September?
Winter spinach, rocket, lettuce and radish can fit an early-September clearance. Garlic or a suitable hardy broad bean becomes more realistic later, depending on protection and drainage.
What can I grow in a greenhouse after tomatoes?
Winter spinach, rocket and suitable lettuce can provide protected leaves, but low light slows growth. Clear debris, clean supports and ventilate on mild days.
What should I plant after tomatoes with blight?
Remove affected debris and avoid another susceptible potato-family crop. Choose an unrelated crop only after considering how the tomatoes were grown and whether contaminated material or volunteer potatoes remain.
Sources and scope
Checked growing guidance
Season, variety and local conditions can move a clearance date. SowNext uses these sources conservatively and keeps the exact-date tool as the final check.
Turn the answer into a plan
Use this handover again next season.
A crop list answers today’s question. Saving the dates and the space makes the answer useful for the rest of the year.
- 01
Check today’s fit
Enter the clearance date, UK region, light and protection so unsuitable late sowings drop out.
Check crops for this space → - 02
Add the choice to your calendar
Choose “Add to growing plan” on a result to save its start date and likely harvest window on this device.
Find and save a crop → - 03
Plan the whole year
Mix pots, raised beds and other spaces, then edit or swap crops without losing the rest of the schedule.
Generate my annual plan →
Before sowing
Three checks matter more than a fixed list.
- CalendarWill the successor establish before its conservative regional cut-off?
- Crop familyChanging family is useful where pests or soil disease have been a problem.
- Space and lightA credible date is not enough if the crop cannot physically fit or receive enough sun.