On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 21 and ends Oct 17, totalling 179 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 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 February 11. Then, around April 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 April 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 | Mar 7 - Mar 22 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 19 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 25 - Mar 10 |
Broccoli | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 7 - Apr 21 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 10 - Apr 7 |
Cauliflower | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 10 - Mar 24 |
Collards | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Eggplants | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Apr 21 - May 5 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Kale | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 10 - Apr 7 | Mar 10 - Apr 7 |
Mustard | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Onions | Feb 4 - Feb 11 | Feb 21 - Mar 22 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 22 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 19 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 22 |
Peppers | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Apr 21 - May 5 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 22 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - May 5 |
Spinach | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | Mar 7 - Apr 7 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 21 - May 12 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Apr 21 - May 5 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 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 July 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 September 2, 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 8, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around June 19 and then transplant them into the garden around July 29. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 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 July 4.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 4 - Aug 3 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 3 - Sep 17 |
Broccoli | May 23 - Jul 7 | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | May 23 - Jul 7 | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | n/a |
Cabbage | May 23 - Jul 7 | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jun 19 - Jul 4 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jul 19 - Sep 17 |
Cauliflower | May 23 - Jul 7 | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 4 - Sep 17 |
Collards | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 19 - Sep 2 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 4 - Jul 19 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 4 - Jul 19 |
Eggplants | May 8 - May 23 | Jun 19 - Jul 4 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 3 - Sep 17 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 4 - Jul 4 |
Kale | May 23 - Jul 7 | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | May 23 - Jul 7 | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jul 19 - Aug 18 | Aug 18 - Sep 17 | Aug 18 - Sep 17 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Aug 18 - Sep 17 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 4 - Jul 4 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Sep 17 - Sep 27 |
Parsley | Jun 4 - Jul 19 | Jul 19 - Sep 2 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jul 19 - Aug 18 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 4 - Jul 4 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jul 19 - Aug 18 |
Peppers | May 13 - May 28 | Jun 24 - Jul 9 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jul 19 - Aug 18 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Aug 18 - Sep 17 |
Spinach | Jul 4 - Aug 18 | Aug 3 - Sep 17 | Aug 3 - Sep 17 |
Tomatoes | May 13 - May 28 | Jun 24 - Jul 9 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 2 - Oct 2 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 4 - Jul 4 |