On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 22 and ends Nov 17, totalling 240 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 22. 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 12. Then, around March 18 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 22, 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 6 - Feb 21 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 19 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 26 - Feb 9 |
Broccoli | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 8 - Mar 22 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Mar 8 |
Cauliflower | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Feb 23 |
Collards | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 5 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 5 |
Eggplants | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Mar 22 - Apr 5 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 5 |
Kale | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 9 - Mar 8 | Feb 9 - Mar 8 |
Mustard | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 5 |
Onions | Jan 5 - Jan 12 | Jan 22 - Feb 21 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 22 - Feb 21 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 19 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 22 - Feb 21 |
Peppers | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Mar 22 - Apr 5 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 22 - Feb 21 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 6 - Apr 5 |
Spinach | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Feb 23 - Mar 8 | Feb 6 - Mar 8 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 12 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Mar 22 - Apr 5 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 22 - Apr 5 |
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 9. 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 3, 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 8, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 20 and then transplant them into the garden around August 29. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 3.
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 4.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Sep 3 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 3 - Oct 18 |
Broccoli | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 20 - Aug 4 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Oct 18 |
Cauliflower | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Oct 18 |
Collards | Jul 20 - Sep 3 | Aug 19 - Oct 3 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Aug 19 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Aug 19 |
Eggplants | Jun 8 - Jun 23 | Jul 20 - Aug 4 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 3 - Oct 18 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |
Kale | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 19 - Sep 18 | Sep 18 - Oct 18 | Sep 18 - Oct 18 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 18 - Oct 18 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 18 - Oct 28 |
Parsley | Jul 5 - Aug 19 | Aug 19 - Oct 3 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Sep 18 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Sep 18 |
Peppers | Jun 13 - Jun 28 | Jul 25 - Aug 9 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Sep 18 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 18 - Oct 18 |
Spinach | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | Sep 3 - Oct 18 | Sep 3 - Oct 18 |
Tomatoes | Jun 13 - Jun 28 | Jul 25 - Aug 9 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 3 - Nov 2 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |