On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 13 and ends Oct 19, totalling 189 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 13. 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 3. Then, around April 9 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 13, 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 28 - Mar 14 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - May 11 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 17 - Mar 2 |
Broccoli | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 30 - Apr 13 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 2 - Mar 30 |
Cauliflower | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 2 - Mar 16 |
Collards | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - Apr 27 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - Apr 27 |
Eggplants | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Apr 13 - Apr 27 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - Apr 27 |
Kale | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 2 - Mar 30 | Mar 2 - Mar 30 |
Mustard | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - Apr 27 |
Onions | Jan 27 - Feb 3 | Feb 13 - Mar 14 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 13 - Mar 14 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - May 11 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 13 - Mar 14 |
Peppers | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Apr 13 - Apr 27 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 13 - Mar 14 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 28 - Apr 27 |
Spinach | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Mar 16 - Mar 30 | Feb 28 - Mar 30 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 13 - May 4 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 3 - Feb 17 | Apr 13 - Apr 27 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 13 - Apr 27 |
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 |