On average, your frost-free growing season starts Apr 25 and ends Nov 15, totalling 204 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around February 25. 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 15. Then, around April 21 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 25, 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 11 - Mar 26 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 23 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Feb 29 - Mar 14 |
Broccoli | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Cabbage | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Apr 11 - Apr 25 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Mar 14 - Apr 11 |
Cauliflower | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Mar 14 - Mar 28 |
Collards | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 9 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 9 |
Eggplants | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Apr 25 - May 9 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 9 |
Kale | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Lettuce | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 14 - Apr 11 | Mar 14 - Apr 11 |
Mustard | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 9 |
Onions | Feb 8 - Feb 15 | Feb 25 - Mar 26 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Feb 25 - Mar 26 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 23 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Feb 25 - Mar 26 |
Peppers | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Apr 25 - May 9 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Feb 25 - Mar 26 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Mar 11 - May 9 |
Spinach | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Mar 28 - Apr 11 | Mar 11 - Apr 11 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Apr 25 - May 16 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Feb 15 - Feb 29 | Apr 25 - May 9 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Apr 25 - May 9 |
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 7. 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 1, 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 6, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 18 and then transplant them into the garden around August 27. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 1.
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 2.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 2 - Sep 1 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 1 - Oct 16 |
Broccoli | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 18 - Aug 2 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 17 - Oct 16 |
Cauliflower | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 2 - Oct 16 |
Collards | Jul 18 - Sep 1 | Aug 17 - Oct 1 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 2 - Aug 17 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 2 - Aug 17 |
Eggplants | Jun 6 - Jun 21 | Jul 18 - Aug 2 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 1 - Oct 16 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 3 - Aug 2 |
Kale | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 21 - Aug 5 | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 17 - Sep 16 | Sep 16 - Oct 16 | Sep 16 - Oct 16 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 16 - Oct 16 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 3 - Aug 2 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 16 - Oct 26 |
Parsley | Jul 3 - Aug 17 | Aug 17 - Oct 1 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 17 - Sep 16 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 3 - Aug 2 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 17 - Sep 16 |
Peppers | Jun 11 - Jun 26 | Jul 23 - Aug 7 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 17 - Sep 16 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 16 - Oct 16 |
Spinach | Aug 2 - Sep 16 | Sep 1 - Oct 16 | Sep 1 - Oct 16 |
Tomatoes | Jun 11 - Jun 26 | Jul 23 - Aug 7 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 1 - Oct 31 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 3 - Aug 2 |