On average, your frost-free growing season starts Mar 24 and ends Nov 17, totalling 238 days. You will find both Spring and Fall planting guides on this page.
Plant onion starts and potatoes around January 24. 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 14. Then, around March 20 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 24, 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 8 - Feb 23 | n/a |
Beans | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 21 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Jan 28 - Feb 11 |
Broccoli | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Mar 10 - Mar 24 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Feb 11 - Mar 10 |
Cauliflower | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Feb 11 - Feb 25 |
Collards | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 7 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 7 |
Eggplants | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 7 |
Kale | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Lettuce | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 11 - Mar 10 | Feb 11 - Mar 10 |
Mustard | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | n/a |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 7 |
Onions | Jan 7 - Jan 14 | Jan 24 - Feb 23 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Jan 24 - Feb 23 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 21 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Jan 24 - Feb 23 |
Peppers | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Jan 24 - Feb 23 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Feb 8 - Apr 7 |
Spinach | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Feb 25 - Mar 10 | Feb 8 - Mar 10 |
Sweet Potatoes | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 14 | n/a |
Tomatoes | Jan 14 - Jan 28 | Mar 24 - Apr 7 | n/a |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Mar 24 - Apr 7 |
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 9. 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 3, 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 8, but because of the heat during that time of year, it's better to start them indoors around July 20 and then transplant them into the garden around August 29. Do the same with lettuce and spinach.
Sow peas directly around September 3.
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 4.
Crop | Sow seeds indoors | Transplant seedlings into the garden | Direct sow seeds |
---|---|---|---|
Beans | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Sep 3 |
Beets | n/a | n/a | Sep 3 - Oct 18 |
Broccoli | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Brussel Sprouts | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Cabbage | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Cantaloupe | n/a | n/a | Jul 20 - Aug 4 |
Carrots | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Oct 18 |
Cauliflower | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Chard | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Oct 18 |
Collards | Jul 20 - Sep 3 | Aug 19 - Oct 3 | n/a |
Corn | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Aug 19 |
Cucumbers | n/a | n/a | Aug 4 - Aug 19 |
Eggplants | Jun 8 - Jun 23 | Jul 20 - Aug 4 | n/a |
Garlic | n/a | n/a | Sep 3 - Oct 18 |
Gourds, Squash and Pumpkins | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |
Kale | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Kohlrabi | Jun 23 - Aug 7 | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | n/a |
Lettuce | Aug 19 - Sep 18 | Sep 18 - Oct 18 | Sep 18 - Oct 18 |
Mustard | n/a | n/a | Sep 18 - Oct 18 |
Okra | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |
Onions | n/a | n/a | Oct 18 - Oct 28 |
Parsley | Jul 5 - Aug 19 | Aug 19 - Oct 3 | n/a |
Peas (English) | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Sep 18 |
Peas (Southern) | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |
Peas (Sugar Snap) | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Sep 18 |
Peppers | Jun 13 - Jun 28 | Jul 25 - Aug 9 | n/a |
Potatoes | n/a | n/a | Aug 19 - Sep 18 |
Radishes | n/a | n/a | Sep 18 - Oct 18 |
Spinach | Aug 4 - Sep 18 | Sep 3 - Oct 18 | Sep 3 - Oct 18 |
Tomatoes | Jun 13 - Jun 28 | Jul 25 - Aug 9 | n/a |
Turnips | n/a | n/a | Oct 3 - Nov 2 |
Watermelon | n/a | n/a | Jul 5 - Aug 4 |