On average, your frost-free growing season starts Feb 9 and ends Dec 5, totalling 300 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around December 11. 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 December 1. Then, around February 5 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 February 9, 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 | Dec 26 - Jan 10 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Mar 8 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Dec 15 - Dec 29 |
Broccoli | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Cabbage | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jan 26 - Feb 9 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Dec 29 - Jan 26 |
Cauliflower | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Dec 29 - Jan 12 |
Collards | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Feb 23 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Feb 23 |
Eggplants | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Feb 9 - Feb 23 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Feb 23 |
Kale | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Lettuce | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Dec 29 - Jan 26 | Dec 29 - Jan 26 |
Mustard | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Feb 23 |
Onions | Nov 24 - Dec 1 | Dec 11 - Jan 10 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Dec 11 - Jan 10 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Mar 8 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Dec 11 - Jan 10 |
Peppers | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Feb 9 - Feb 23 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Dec 11 - Jan 10 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Dec 26 - Feb 23 |
Spinach | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Jan 12 - Jan 26 | Dec 26 - Jan 26 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Feb 9 - Mar 1 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Dec 1 - Dec 15 | Feb 9 - Feb 23 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Feb 9 - Feb 23 |
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 27. 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 21, 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 26, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around August 7 and then transplant them into the garden around September 16. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 21.
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 22.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 22 - Sep 21 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 21 - Nov 5 |
Broccoli | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Aug 7 - Aug 22 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Sep 6 - Nov 5 |
Cauliflower | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 22 - Nov 5 |
Collards | Aug 7 - Sep 21 | Sep 6 - Oct 21 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 22 - Sep 6 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 22 - Sep 6 |
Eggplants | Jun 26 - Jul 11 | Aug 7 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 21 - Nov 5 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |
Kale | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | n/a |
Lettuce | Sep 6 - Oct 6 | Oct 6 - Nov 5 | Oct 6 - Nov 5 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Oct 6 - Nov 5 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Nov 5 - Nov 15 |
Parsley | Jul 23 - Sep 6 | Sep 6 - Oct 21 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Sep 6 - Oct 6 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Sep 6 - Oct 6 |
Peppers | Jul 1 - Jul 16 | Aug 12 - Aug 27 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Sep 6 - Oct 6 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Oct 6 - Nov 5 |
Spinach | Aug 22 - Oct 6 | Sep 21 - Nov 5 | Sep 21 - Nov 5 |
Tomatoes | Jul 1 - Jul 16 | Aug 12 - Aug 27 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 21 - Nov 20 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |