On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 21 and ends Oct 14, totalling 176 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 21. 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 11. Then, around April 17 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 21, 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 7 - Mar 22 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 19 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 25 - Mar 10 |
Broccoli | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 7 - Apr 21 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 10 - Apr 7 |
Cauliflower | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 10 - Mar 24 |
Collards | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Eggplants | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Apr 21 - May 5 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Kale | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 10 - Apr 7 | Mar 10 - Apr 7 |
Mustard | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
Onions | Feb 4 - Feb 11 | Feb 21 - Mar 22 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 22 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 19 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 22 |
Peppers | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Apr 21 - May 5 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 21 - Mar 22 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 7 - May 5 |
Spinach | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | Mar 7 - Apr 7 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 21 - May 12 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 11 - Feb 25 | Apr 21 - May 5 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 21 - May 5 |
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 6. 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 30, 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 5, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around June 16 and then transplant them into the garden around July 26. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around July 31.
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 1.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 31 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jul 31 - Sep 14 |
Broccoli | May 20 - Jul 4 | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | May 20 - Jul 4 | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | n/a |
Cabbage | May 20 - Jul 4 | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jun 16 - Jul 1 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Jul 16 - Sep 14 |
Cauliflower | May 20 - Jul 4 | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Sep 14 |
Collards | Jun 16 - Jul 31 | Jul 16 - Aug 30 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 16 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Jul 1 - Jul 16 |
Eggplants | May 5 - May 20 | Jun 16 - Jul 1 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Jul 31 - Sep 14 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jun 1 - Jul 1 |
Kale | May 20 - Jul 4 | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | May 20 - Jul 4 | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jul 16 - Aug 15 | Aug 15 - Sep 14 | Aug 15 - Sep 14 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Aug 15 - Sep 14 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jun 1 - Jul 1 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Sep 14 - Sep 24 |
Parsley | Jun 1 - Jul 16 | Jul 16 - Aug 30 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jul 16 - Aug 15 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jun 1 - Jul 1 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jul 16 - Aug 15 |
Peppers | May 10 - May 25 | Jun 21 - Jul 6 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jul 16 - Aug 15 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Aug 15 - Sep 14 |
Spinach | Jul 1 - Aug 15 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 | Jul 31 - Sep 14 |
Tomatoes | May 10 - May 25 | Jun 21 - Jul 6 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Aug 30 - Sep 29 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jun 1 - Jul 1 |