On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 23 and ends Oct 19, totalling 179 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 23. 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 February 13. Then, around April 19 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 April 23, 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 | Mar 9 - Mar 24 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 21 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 27 - Mar 12 |
Broccoli | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 9 - Apr 23 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 12 - Apr 9 |
Cauliflower | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 12 - Mar 26 |
Collards | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 7 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 7 |
Eggplants | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Apr 23 - May 7 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 7 |
Kale | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 12 - Apr 9 | Mar 12 - Apr 9 |
Mustard | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 7 |
Onions | Feb 6 - Feb 13 | Feb 23 - Mar 24 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 23 - Mar 24 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 21 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 23 - Mar 24 |
Peppers | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Apr 23 - May 7 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 23 - Mar 24 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 9 - May 7 |
Spinach | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Mar 26 - Apr 9 | Mar 9 - Apr 9 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 23 - May 14 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 13 - Feb 27 | Apr 23 - May 7 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 23 - May 7 |
Most tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, for example, require around 100 days to harvest, therefore you'd want to transplant those into the ground around July 11. 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 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 August 10, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around June 21 and then transplant them into the garden around July 31. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 5.
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 6.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Aug 5 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 5 - Sep 19 |
Broccoli | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | n/a |
Cabbage | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jun 21 - Jul 6 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jul 21 - Sep 19 |
Cauliflower | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Sep 19 |
Collards | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Jul 21 - Sep 4 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Jul 21 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 6 - Jul 21 |
Eggplants | May 10 - May 25 | Jun 21 - Jul 6 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 5 - Sep 19 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 6 - Jul 6 |
Kale | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jul 21 - Aug 20 | Aug 20 - Sep 19 | Aug 20 - Sep 19 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Aug 20 - Sep 19 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 6 - Jul 6 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Sep 19 - Sep 29 |
Parsley | Jun 6 - Jul 21 | Jul 21 - Sep 4 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jul 21 - Aug 20 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 6 - Jul 6 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jul 21 - Aug 20 |
Peppers | May 15 - May 30 | Jun 26 - Jul 11 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jul 21 - Aug 20 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Aug 20 - Sep 19 |
Spinach | Jul 6 - Aug 20 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 | Aug 5 - Sep 19 |
Tomatoes | May 15 - May 30 | Jun 26 - Jul 11 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 4 - Oct 4 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 6 - Jul 6 |