On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 20 and ends Oct 24, totalling 187 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 20. 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 10. Then, around April 16 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 20, 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 6 - Mar 21 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 18 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 24 - Mar 9 |
Broccoli | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 6 - Apr 20 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 9 - Apr 6 |
Cauliflower | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 9 - Mar 23 |
Collards | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 4 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 4 |
Eggplants | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Apr 20 - May 4 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 4 |
Kale | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 9 - Apr 6 | Mar 9 - Apr 6 |
Mustard | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 4 |
Onions | Feb 3 - Feb 10 | Feb 20 - Mar 21 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 20 - Mar 21 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 18 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 20 - Mar 21 |
Peppers | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Apr 20 - May 4 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 20 - Mar 21 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 6 - May 4 |
Spinach | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Mar 23 - Apr 6 | Mar 6 - Apr 6 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 20 - May 11 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 10 - Feb 24 | Apr 20 - May 4 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 20 - May 4 |
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 16. 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 9, 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 15, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around June 26 and then transplant them into the garden around August 5. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around August 10.
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 11.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 11 - Aug 10 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Aug 10 - Sep 24 |
Broccoli | May 30 - Jul 14 | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | May 30 - Jul 14 | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | n/a |
Cabbage | May 30 - Jul 14 | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jun 26 - Jul 11 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jul 26 - Sep 24 |
Cauliflower | May 30 - Jul 14 | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 11 - Sep 24 |
Collards | Jun 26 - Aug 10 | Jul 26 - Sep 9 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 11 - Jul 26 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 11 - Jul 26 |
Eggplants | May 15 - May 30 | Jun 26 - Jul 11 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Aug 10 - Sep 24 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 11 - Jul 11 |
Kale | May 30 - Jul 14 | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | May 30 - Jul 14 | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jul 26 - Aug 25 | Aug 25 - Sep 24 | Aug 25 - Sep 24 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Aug 25 - Sep 24 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 11 - Jul 11 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Sep 24 - Oct 4 |
Parsley | Jun 11 - Jul 26 | Jul 26 - Sep 9 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jul 26 - Aug 25 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 11 - Jul 11 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jul 26 - Aug 25 |
Peppers | May 20 - Jun 4 | Jul 1 - Jul 16 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jul 26 - Aug 25 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Aug 25 - Sep 24 |
Spinach | Jul 11 - Aug 25 | Aug 10 - Sep 24 | Aug 10 - Sep 24 |
Tomatoes | May 20 - Jun 4 | Jul 1 - Jul 16 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Sep 9 - Oct 9 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 11 - Jul 11 |