On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 17 and ends Nov 10, totalling 238 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 17. 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 7. Then, around March 13 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 17, 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 1 - Feb 16 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Apr 14 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 21 - Feb 4 |
Broccoli | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 3 - Mar 17 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Feb 4 - Mar 3 |
Cauliflower | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Feb 4 - Feb 18 |
Collards | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Mar 31 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Mar 31 |
Eggplants | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Mar 17 - Mar 31 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Mar 31 |
Kale | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 4 - Mar 3 | Feb 4 - Mar 3 |
Mustard | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Mar 31 |
Onions | Dec 31 - Jan 7 | Jan 17 - Feb 16 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 17 - Feb 16 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Apr 14 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 17 - Feb 16 |
Peppers | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Mar 17 - Mar 31 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 17 - Feb 16 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 1 - Mar 31 |
Spinach | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Feb 18 - Mar 3 | Feb 1 - Mar 3 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 17 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Jan 7 - Jan 21 | Mar 17 - Mar 31 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 17 - Mar 31 |
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 2. 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 26, 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 1, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 13 and then transplant them into the garden around August 22. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 27.
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 28.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 28 - Aug 27 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 27 - Oct 11 |
Broccoli | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 13 - Jul 28 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Oct 11 |
Cauliflower | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 28 - Oct 11 |
Collards | Jul 13 - Aug 27 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 28 - Aug 12 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 28 - Aug 12 |
Eggplants | Jun 1 - Jun 16 | Jul 13 - Jul 28 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 27 - Oct 11 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 28 - Jul 28 |
Kale | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 12 - Sep 11 | Sep 11 - Oct 11 | Sep 11 - Oct 11 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 11 - Oct 11 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 28 - Jul 28 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 11 - Oct 21 |
Parsley | Jun 28 - Aug 12 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Sep 11 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 28 - Jul 28 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Sep 11 |
Peppers | Jun 6 - Jun 21 | Jul 18 - Aug 2 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Sep 11 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 11 - Oct 11 |
Spinach | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | Aug 27 - Oct 11 | Aug 27 - Oct 11 |
Tomatoes | Jun 6 - Jun 21 | Jul 18 - Aug 2 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 26 - Oct 26 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 28 - Jul 28 |