Garden planting dates: the basics
Twenty percent of garden planning covers eighty percent of results. Everything below fits on an index card.
1. Find your frost dates
Your last spring frost date and first fall frost date define your growing season. Look them up for your zip code through your local extension office or a frost-date tool — don't guess from a neighboring town, because elevation and microclimates shift dates by weeks. Seed packets time everything as "weeks before/after last frost," so these two dates are the key to the whole system.
2. Cool-season vs. warm-season crops
| Cool-season (plant before last frost) | Warm-season (plant after last frost) |
|---|---|
| Peas, spinach, lettuce, arugula | Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant |
| Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower | Cucumbers, squash, melons |
| Carrots, radishes, beets | Beans, corn, sweet potatoes |
| Garlic, onions (fall or early spring) | Basil and most herbs |
Cool-season crops tolerate light frost and bolt (go to seed, turn bitter) in summer heat. Warm-season crops die in frost — planting tomatoes two weeks early gains you nothing if a late frost kills them. When in doubt, wait.
3. Succession planting
Don't plant everything once. Sow lettuce, radishes, and beans every 2–3 weeks for a continuous harvest instead of one overwhelming glut. When spring peas finish in early summer, that bed becomes fall carrots. Two or three sowings beat one big planting day.
4. Start seeds indoors (optional, not required)
Tomatoes and peppers need a head start in short-season climates: sow indoors 6–8 weeks before last frost under strong light. Everything else on the table above can be direct-sown. A sunny windowsill is usually not enough light — leggy seedlings are the classic beginner outcome. A cheap shop light 2 inches above the seedlings fixes it.