On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 17 and ends Oct 21, totalling 187 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 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 February 7. Then, around April 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 April 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 | Mar 3 - Mar 18 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 15 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 6 |
Broccoli | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 3 - Apr 17 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 6 - Apr 3 |
Cauliflower | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 6 - Mar 20 |
Collards | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 1 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 1 |
Eggplants | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Apr 17 - May 1 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 1 |
Kale | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 6 - Apr 3 | Mar 6 - Apr 3 |
Mustard | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 1 |
Onions | Jan 31 - Feb 7 | Feb 17 - Mar 18 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 17 - Mar 18 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 15 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 17 - Mar 18 |
Peppers | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Apr 17 - May 1 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 17 - Mar 18 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 3 - May 1 |
Spinach | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Mar 20 - Apr 3 | Mar 3 - Apr 3 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 17 - May 8 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 7 - Feb 21 | Apr 17 - May 1 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 17 - May 1 |
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 13. 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 6, 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 12, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around June 23 and then transplant them into the garden around August 2. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 7.
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 8.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 8 - Aug 7 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 7 - Sep 21 |
Broccoli | May 27 - Jul 11 | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | May 27 - Jul 11 | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Cabbage | May 27 - Jul 11 | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jun 23 - Jul 8 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Sep 21 |
Cauliflower | May 27 - Jul 11 | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 8 - Sep 21 |
Collards | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Jul 23 - Sep 6 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 8 - Jul 23 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 8 - Jul 23 |
Eggplants | May 12 - May 27 | Jun 23 - Jul 8 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 7 - Sep 21 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 8 - Jul 8 |
Kale | May 27 - Jul 11 | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | May 27 - Jul 11 | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jul 23 - Aug 22 | Aug 22 - Sep 21 | Aug 22 - Sep 21 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Aug 22 - Sep 21 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 8 - Jul 8 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Sep 21 - Oct 1 |
Parsley | Jun 8 - Jul 23 | Jul 23 - Sep 6 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 8 - Jul 8 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |
Peppers | May 17 - Jun 1 | Jun 28 - Jul 13 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jul 23 - Aug 22 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Aug 22 - Sep 21 |
Spinach | Jul 8 - Aug 22 | Aug 7 - Sep 21 | Aug 7 - Sep 21 |
Tomatoes | May 17 - Jun 1 | Jun 28 - Jul 13 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 6 - Oct 6 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 8 - Jul 8 |