On average, your frost-free growing season starts Feb 22 and ends Nov 25, totalling 277 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around December 24. 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 14. Then, around February 18 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 22, 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 | Jan 8 - Jan 23 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 21 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Dec 28 - Jan 11 |
Broccoli | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Cabbage | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Feb 8 - Feb 22 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jan 11 - Feb 8 |
Cauliflower | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jan 11 - Jan 25 |
Collards | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 7 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 7 |
Eggplants | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 7 |
Kale | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Lettuce | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 11 - Feb 8 | Jan 11 - Feb 8 |
Mustard | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 7 |
Onions | Dec 7 - Dec 14 | Dec 24 - Jan 23 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Dec 24 - Jan 23 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 21 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Dec 24 - Jan 23 |
Peppers | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Dec 24 - Jan 23 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Jan 8 - Mar 7 |
Spinach | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Jan 25 - Feb 8 | Jan 8 - Feb 8 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 14 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Dec 14 - Dec 28 | Feb 22 - Mar 7 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Feb 22 - Mar 7 |
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 17. 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 11, 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 16, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 28 and then transplant them into the garden around September 6. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 11.
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 12.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Sep 11 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 11 - Oct 26 |
Broccoli | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 28 - Aug 12 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 27 - Oct 26 |
Cauliflower | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Oct 26 |
Collards | Jul 28 - Sep 11 | Aug 27 - Oct 11 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Aug 27 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 12 - Aug 27 |
Eggplants | Jun 16 - Jul 1 | Jul 28 - Aug 12 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 11 - Oct 26 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 13 - Aug 12 |
Kale | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 27 - Sep 26 | Sep 26 - Oct 26 | Sep 26 - Oct 26 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 26 - Oct 26 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 13 - Aug 12 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 26 - Nov 5 |
Parsley | Jul 13 - Aug 27 | Aug 27 - Oct 11 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 27 - Sep 26 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 13 - Aug 12 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 27 - Sep 26 |
Peppers | Jun 21 - Jul 6 | Aug 2 - Aug 17 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 27 - Sep 26 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 26 - Oct 26 |
Spinach | Aug 12 - Sep 26 | Sep 11 - Oct 26 | Sep 11 - Oct 26 |
Tomatoes | Jun 21 - Jul 6 | Aug 2 - Aug 17 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 11 - Nov 10 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 13 - Aug 12 |