On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 21 and ends Nov 11, totalling 235 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 21. Sow the seeds of peas (sugar snap and english) at the same time. If the ground is still frozen, then plant these as soon as the ground thaws.
Do you want to grow tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants? Start these indoors around January 11. Then, around March 17 you should start watching the weather forecast and, as soon as no frost is forecast, go ahead and transplant those into the ground.
Now, for all the summer vegetables like beans, cowpeas, corn, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, watermelons, gourds and sunflowers, you should plant those seeds directly into the ground around March 21, or if your soil is still very cold, once the soil is near 60° F in temperature.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Asparagus | n/a | Feb 5 - Feb 20 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 18 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 25 - Feb 8 |
Broccoli | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 21 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Feb 8 - Mar 7 |
Cauliflower | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Feb 8 - Feb 22 |
Collards | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 4 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 4 |
Eggplants | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Mar 21 - Apr 4 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 4 |
Kale | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 8 - Mar 7 | Feb 8 - Mar 7 |
Mustard | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 4 |
Onions | Jan 4 - Jan 11 | Jan 21 - Feb 20 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 21 - Feb 20 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 18 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 21 - Feb 20 |
Peppers | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Mar 21 - Apr 4 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 21 - Feb 20 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 5 - Apr 4 |
Spinach | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | Feb 5 - Mar 7 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Jan 11 - Jan 25 | Mar 21 - Apr 4 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 21 - Apr 4 |
Most tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, for example, require around 100 days to harvest, therefore you'd want to transplant those into the ground around August 3. Anyway, it's important to remember that the numbers in this fall planting guide are only a starting point for you! Good luck and good gardening to you.
Fall is the time to plant garlic. Around September 27, take your cloves apart and plant the toes about 3 to 4 inches deep. This may not be accurate! Garlic dates vary wildly around the country. The way to be sure is to use a soil thermometer. When the soil temperature is 60° at a depth of 4 inches, then plant your garlic.
Cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage can be direct seeded into your garden around September 2, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 14 and then transplant them into the garden around August 23. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 28.
Now, for all the usual hot weather veggies like beans, cowpeas, corn, squashes, pumpkins, cucumbers, watermelons, gourds and sunflowers, you should plant those seeds directly into the ground around July 29.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 29 - Aug 28 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 28 - Oct 12 |
Broccoli | Jun 17 - Aug 1 | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 17 - Aug 1 | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 17 - Aug 1 | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 14 - Jul 29 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 13 - Oct 12 |
Cauliflower | Jun 17 - Aug 1 | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 29 - Oct 12 |
Collards | Jul 14 - Aug 28 | Aug 13 - Sep 27 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 29 - Aug 13 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 29 - Aug 13 |
Eggplants | Jun 2 - Jun 17 | Jul 14 - Jul 29 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 28 - Oct 12 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 29 - Jul 29 |
Kale | Jun 17 - Aug 1 | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 17 - Aug 1 | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 13 - Sep 12 | Sep 12 - Oct 12 | Sep 12 - Oct 12 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 12 - Oct 12 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 29 - Jul 29 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 12 - Oct 22 |
Parsley | Jun 29 - Aug 13 | Aug 13 - Sep 27 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 13 - Sep 12 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 29 - Jul 29 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 13 - Sep 12 |
Peppers | Jun 7 - Jun 22 | Jul 19 - Aug 3 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 13 - Sep 12 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 12 - Oct 12 |
Spinach | Jul 29 - Sep 12 | Aug 28 - Oct 12 | Aug 28 - Oct 12 |
Tomatoes | Jun 7 - Jun 22 | Jul 19 - Aug 3 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 27 - Oct 27 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 29 - Jul 29 |