On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 27 and ends Nov 13, totalling 231 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 27. 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 17. Then, around March 23 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 27, 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 11 - Feb 26 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 24 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 31 - Feb 14 |
Broccoli | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 13 - Mar 27 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Feb 14 - Mar 13 |
Cauliflower | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Feb 14 - Feb 28 |
Collards | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 10 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 10 |
Eggplants | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Mar 27 - Apr 10 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 10 |
Kale | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 14 - Mar 13 | Feb 14 - Mar 13 |
Mustard | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 10 |
Onions | Jan 10 - Jan 17 | Jan 27 - Feb 26 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 27 - Feb 26 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 24 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 27 - Feb 26 |
Peppers | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Mar 27 - Apr 10 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 27 - Feb 26 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 11 - Apr 10 |
Spinach | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Feb 11 - Mar 13 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 17 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Jan 17 - Jan 31 | Mar 27 - Apr 10 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 10 |
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 5. 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 29, 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 4, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 16 and then transplant them into the garden around August 25. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 30.
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 31.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 31 - Aug 30 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 30 - Oct 14 |
Broccoli | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 16 - Jul 31 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 15 - Oct 14 |
Cauliflower | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 31 - Oct 14 |
Collards | Jul 16 - Aug 30 | Aug 15 - Sep 29 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 31 - Aug 15 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 31 - Aug 15 |
Eggplants | Jun 4 - Jun 19 | Jul 16 - Jul 31 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 30 - Oct 14 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 31 |
Kale | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 19 - Aug 3 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 15 - Sep 14 | Sep 14 - Oct 14 | Sep 14 - Oct 14 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 14 - Oct 14 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 31 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 14 - Oct 24 |
Parsley | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Aug 15 - Sep 29 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 15 - Sep 14 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 31 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 15 - Sep 14 |
Peppers | Jun 9 - Jun 24 | Jul 21 - Aug 5 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 15 - Sep 14 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 14 - Oct 14 |
Spinach | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | Aug 30 - Oct 14 | Aug 30 - Oct 14 |
Tomatoes | Jun 9 - Jun 24 | Jul 21 - Aug 5 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 29 - Oct 29 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 31 |