On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 7 and ends Nov 22, totalling 260 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 7. 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 December 28. Then, around March 3 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 7, 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 | Jan 22 - Feb 6 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Apr 4 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 11 - Jan 25 |
Broccoli | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Cabbage | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 7 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jan 25 - Feb 22 |
Cauliflower | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jan 25 - Feb 8 |
Collards | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 21 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 21 |
Eggplants | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Mar 7 - Mar 21 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 21 |
Kale | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Lettuce | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Jan 25 - Feb 22 | Jan 25 - Feb 22 |
Mustard | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 21 |
Onions | Dec 21 - Dec 28 | Jan 7 - Feb 6 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 7 - Feb 6 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Apr 4 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 7 - Feb 6 |
Peppers | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Mar 7 - Mar 21 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 7 - Feb 6 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Jan 22 - Mar 21 |
Spinach | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Feb 8 - Feb 22 | Jan 22 - Feb 22 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 28 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Dec 28 - Jan 11 | Mar 7 - Mar 21 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - Mar 21 |
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 14. 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 October 8, 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 13, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 25 and then transplant them into the garden around September 3. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 8.
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 August 9.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 9 - Sep 8 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 8 - Oct 23 |
Broccoli | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 25 - Aug 9 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 24 - Oct 23 |
Cauliflower | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 9 - Oct 23 |
Collards | Jul 25 - Sep 8 | Aug 24 - Oct 8 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 9 - Aug 24 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 9 - Aug 24 |
Eggplants | Jun 13 - Jun 28 | Jul 25 - Aug 9 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 8 - Oct 23 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 10 - Aug 9 |
Kale | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 24 - Sep 23 | Sep 23 - Oct 23 | Sep 23 - Oct 23 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 23 - Oct 23 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 10 - Aug 9 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 23 - Nov 2 |
Parsley | Jul 10 - Aug 24 | Aug 24 - Oct 8 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 24 - Sep 23 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 10 - Aug 9 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 24 - Sep 23 |
Peppers | Jun 18 - Jul 3 | Jul 30 - Aug 14 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 24 - Sep 23 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 23 - Oct 23 |
Spinach | Aug 9 - Sep 23 | Sep 8 - Oct 23 | Sep 8 - Oct 23 |
Tomatoes | Jun 18 - Jul 3 | Jul 30 - Aug 14 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 8 - Nov 7 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 10 - Aug 9 |