NDVI and MSAVI based on NOAA/AVHRR from 1982 to 1999 are used to monitor variable rules for the growing season of vegetation in northern China. The following, mainly, are included: (1) an estimation of the beginning, end and length of growing season for each type of vegetation with threshold method and moving average method; the beginning, end and length of growing season of vegetation from 1982 to 1999 linearly fitted; and finally, an analyzation of the linear trend of the beginning, end and length of growing season of vegetation. (2) the area in northern China is divided into 3236°N，3640°N，4044°N，4448°N，4852°N zones in latitudinal direction. The beginning, end and length of growing season in different years and zones are estimated based on greatest changes of slope method, (3) growing season of vegetation in different spatial locations from 1982 to 1999 are fitted based on curves. Then, the average spatial difference rules of multi-year growing seasons are discussed in article. Results show that: (1) Beginning of growing season of most types of vegetation, such as typical steppe, desert steppe and temperate mountain deciduous coniferous forest, has advanced; end has postponed; length has prolonged; and advancing and postponing days are different. Moreover, the beginning of the growing season of less types of vegetation, such as temperate deciduous broadleaf forest, doesn’t indicate such a trend, but its beginning has postponed or its end has advanced. (2) Beginning of growing season of desert and non-desert vegetation in most latitude zones has an exhibition of the trend of the advance, as well as the trend of the postponed, and length has prolonged. (3) There is early start to the growing season of vegetation in Qinghai, Gansu, southern area of Shannxi and an early end to the growing season of vegetation in Tian mountain of Xinjiang, northern area of Dongbei, Qinghai, Gansu. The growing season of most areas in Dongbei, Qinghai, Xinjiang shows a prolonging trend, however, that of some areas show a shortening trend.