On average, your frost-free growing season starts May 8 and ends Oct 7, totalling 152 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Your planting strategy: |
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Cole crops like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage can be direct seeded into your garden around March 27, assuming the ground can be worked, but it's better to start them indoors around February 28 and then transplant them into the garden around April 18. Do the same with lettuce and spinach. Plant onion starts and potatoes around March 9. 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 28. Then, around May 4 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 May 8, or if your soil is still very cold, once the soil is near 60° F in temperature. Having said that, we note that your location has a shorter than average growing season. Many summer vegetables need more days to mature than your area will provide. For that reason, we recommend you get a head-start by starting these summer vegetables indoors around April 18, and transplant those seedlings out after the danger of frost is past. |
Okay, now here are the cold, hard numbers, along with specific plants:
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
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Asparagus | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 8 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | May 8 - Jun 5 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Mar 13 - Mar 27 |
Broccoli | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 24 - May 8 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 24 |
Cauliflower | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 27 - Apr 10 |
Collards | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | May 8 - May 22 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | May 8 - May 22 |
Eggplants | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | May 8 - May 22 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | May 8 - May 22 |
Kale | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Mar 27 - Apr 24 | Mar 27 - Apr 24 |
Mustard | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | May 8 - May 22 |
Onions | Feb 21 - Feb 28 | Mar 9 - Apr 8 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Mar 9 - Apr 8 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | May 8 - Jun 5 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Mar 9 - Apr 8 |
Peppers | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | May 8 - May 22 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Mar 9 - Apr 8 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - May 22 |
Spinach | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | Apr 10 - Apr 24 | Mar 24 - Apr 24 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | May 8 - May 29 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 28 - Mar 13 | May 8 - May 22 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | May 8 - May 22 |
Your fall planting strategy: |
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Gardening in the fall can be much more challenging than spring planting, because you are in a race to get your crops mature and harvested before the winter frosts begin, around October 7. This means you need to consider how much time each variety needs between planting and picking. Those numbers vary widely between different varieties of the same kinds of plants! Usually the "Days to Harvest" are present on the seed packet.
Most tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, for example, require around 100 days to harvest, therefore you'd want to transplant those into the ground around June 29. 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 August 23, 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 July 29, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around June 9 and then transplant them into the garden around July 19. Do the same with lettuce and spinach. Sow peas directly around July 24. 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 June 24. |
Okay, now here are the cold, hard numbers, along with specific plants:
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jun 24 - Jul 24 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jul 24 - Sep 7 |
Broccoli | May 13 - Jun 27 | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | May 13 - Jun 27 | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | n/a |
Cabbage | May 13 - Jun 27 | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jun 9 - Jun 24 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jul 9 - Sep 7 |
Cauliflower | May 13 - Jun 27 | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jun 24 - Sep 7 |
Collards | Jun 9 - Jul 24 | Jul 9 - Aug 23 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jun 24 - Jul 9 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jun 24 - Jul 9 |
Eggplants | Apr 28 - May 13 | Jun 9 - Jun 24 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Jul 24 - Sep 7 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | May 25 - Jun 24 |
Kale | May 13 - Jun 27 | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | May 13 - Jun 27 | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jul 9 - Aug 8 | Aug 8 - Sep 7 | Aug 8 - Sep 7 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Aug 8 - Sep 7 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | May 25 - Jun 24 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Sep 7 - Sep 17 |
Parsley | May 25 - Jul 9 | Jul 9 - Aug 23 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jul 9 - Aug 8 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | May 25 - Jun 24 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jul 9 - Aug 8 |
Peppers | May 3 - May 18 | Jun 14 - Jun 29 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jul 9 - Aug 8 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Aug 8 - Sep 7 |
Spinach | Jun 24 - Aug 8 | Jul 24 - Sep 7 | Jul 24 - Sep 7 |
Tomatoes | May 3 - May 18 | Jun 14 - Jun 29 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Aug 23 - Sep 22 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | May 25 - Jun 24 |