On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 19 and ends Nov 18, totalling 244 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 19. 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 9. Then, around March 15 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 19, 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 3 - Feb 18 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 16 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 23 - Feb 6 |
Broccoli | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 5 - Mar 19 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Feb 6 - Mar 5 |
Cauliflower | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Feb 6 - Feb 20 |
Collards | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 2 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 2 |
Eggplants | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Mar 19 - Apr 2 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 2 |
Kale | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 6 - Mar 5 | Feb 6 - Mar 5 |
Mustard | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 2 |
Onions | Jan 2 - Jan 9 | Jan 19 - Feb 18 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 19 - Feb 18 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 16 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 19 - Feb 18 |
Peppers | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Mar 19 - Apr 2 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 19 - Feb 18 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 3 - Apr 2 |
Spinach | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Feb 20 - Mar 5 | Feb 3 - Mar 5 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Jan 9 - Jan 23 | Mar 19 - Apr 2 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 19 - Apr 2 |
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 10. 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 4, 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 9, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 21 and then transplant them into the garden around August 30. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 4.
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 5.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 5 - Sep 4 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 4 - Oct 19 |
Broccoli | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 21 - Aug 5 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 20 - Oct 19 |
Cauliflower | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 5 - Oct 19 |
Collards | Jul 21 - Sep 4 | Aug 20 - Oct 4 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 5 - Aug 20 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 5 - Aug 20 |
Eggplants | Jun 9 - Jun 24 | Jul 21 - Aug 5 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 4 - Oct 19 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Aug 5 |
Kale | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 20 - Sep 19 | Sep 19 - Oct 19 | Sep 19 - Oct 19 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 19 - Oct 19 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Aug 5 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 19 - Oct 29 |
Parsley | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | Aug 20 - Oct 4 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 20 - Sep 19 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Aug 5 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 20 - Sep 19 |
Peppers | Jun 14 - Jun 29 | Jul 26 - Aug 10 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 20 - Sep 19 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 19 - Oct 19 |
Spinach | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | Sep 4 - Oct 19 | Sep 4 - Oct 19 |
Tomatoes | Jun 14 - Jun 29 | Jul 26 - Aug 10 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 4 - Nov 3 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Aug 5 |