This morning UK soil ranged from 12.2°C in Northern Scotland to 16.4°C in South West England. That spread is why the same seed packet, sown on the same day, succeeds in one part of the country and rots in another.

Soil temperature by region, at seed depth

Region Soil at 6cm, 8am Peak today Air now Crops you can sow today
South West England 16.4°C 18°C 16.8°C 4
South Wales 16.1°C 17.2°C 16.3°C 4
London and the South East 16°C 18.9°C 18.7°C 4
The Midlands 15.4°C 17.5°C 16.1°C 4
North West England 14.9°C 16.1°C 15.2°C 4
East Anglia 14.8°C 17.8°C 17.6°C 4
Yorkshire 14.2°C 15.5°C 14.2°C 4
North East England 14°C 15.2°C 11.2°C 4
Southern Scotland 13.5°C 14.4°C 11.7°C 4
Northern Ireland 12.8°C 14.8°C 13.5°C 4
Northern Scotland 12.2°C 13.1°C 9.6°C 4

Soil temperature at 6cm from Open-Meteo, taken at 8am — the reading a thermometer in your own bed would give, and the one germination actually depends on. The peak column is the same 6cm layer at its hottest today: Open-Meteo models bare soil in full sun, which climbs far above the morning figure and above air temperature. Sow against the morning number, not the peak.

What you can sow anywhere in the UK today

4 crops are in their October sowing window and warm enough to germinate in every UK region, including the coldest — Northern Scotland, at 12.2°C.

Where soil temperature is still the limiting factor

Nowhere, today. Every crop in its October sowing window is warm enough to germinate across the whole country, from 12.2°C in Northern Scotland to 16.4°C in South West England. Soil temperature is the constraint in spring and autumn, when the difference between the South West and the north of Scotland can be several weeks of growing season. In the middle of summer it is not.

What limits you now is water, not warmth — a seed needs moisture at depth to germinate, and in a dry spell the top few centimetres go to dust while the soil below stays damp. Sow into moisture, water the drill before sowing rather than the surface after, and mulch.

What is the soil temperature in the UK right now?

Measured at seed depth (6cm) this morning, UK soil temperature ranges from 12.2°C in Northern Scotland to 16.4°C in South West England. Morning is the reading that matters: it is what a thermometer in your own bed will show, and bare soil in full sun can be more than 10°C warmer by mid-afternoon. Soil temperature is what determines whether a seed germinates, and it varies by several degrees across the country on the same day.

Why does soil temperature matter more than the calendar?

Seeds germinate on soil warmth, not on dates. A seed sown into soil below its germination threshold sits there, absorbs water, and rots rather than sprouting. That is why the same packet sown on the same day succeeds in Devon and fails in Aberdeenshire. Carrots need about 7°C, French beans about 12°C, and tomatoes about 15°C at seed depth.

How do I measure soil temperature in my own garden?

Push a soil thermometer in to about 5cm - seed depth - and read it in the morning, before the sun has warmed the ground. Take the reading in the bed you are about to sow, not on a path or a lawn. The figures on this page are morning readings for the same reason: bare soil in full sun can climb more than 10°C by mid-afternoon, and an afternoon peak tells you the ground is ready when the seed you sow at dawn will disagree.