When should I plant?
- Where should I locate my garden?
- What size should I make my soil-beds?
- How should I arrange my soil-beds?
- What should I plant?
- When should I plant?
- What tools will I need?
- How much time will it take?
The proper time to plant partly depends on the climate and the growing season where you grow your garden.
Learn More
- Extending Growing Seasons The Mittleider Gardening Course (pp. 105-123)
- Building an Inexpensive Seedling Greenhouse Grow-Bed Gardening (pp. 61-74)
- Cold-Weather Gardening The Mittleider Gardening Course (pp. 141-150)
- Grow-Box Gardening More Food From Your Garden
The growing season usually refers to the days between the last frost in the spring and the first frost in the fall. These dates give you a general idea as to when certain crops can be planted in your area and what types of crops to plant.
To help you determine when to plant your garden, find out the average day of last frost for your area.
Tips
If you do not know the average day of last frost for your area, call your state extension agent to find out what it is.
Plant hardiness also partly determines when to plant.
- Hardy plants tolerate frost and cold and can be planted 3 to 6 weeks before the average date of last frost.
- Moderately-hardy plants handle a certain amount of cold. Plant these 2-3 weeks before the average date of last frost.
- Cold- and frost-sensitive plants don't like cold or frost. Plant them on the average day of last frost and protect them against late frost.
- Frost-intolerant plants will not survive any frost and must be planted 2-3 weeks after the average day of last frost.
To see a table showing examples of each of these types of plants, click on the Plant Hardiness and Planting Times.
Garden Genius
Click on Planting Plan and enter when to plant each of your crops. Refer to Plant Hardiness and Planting Times to make your decisions.
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Tip of the Day
It's Spring Planting Time! For those of you in the Northern hemisphere who have winters, March and early April are the time you need to be preparing your soil and planting the hardy vegetable crops such as radishes, peas, cabbage and broccoli.
The freeze/thaw cycles of winter have broken up and loosened most soils, so as soon as it's not muddy, go in and give everything a good weeding with the 2-way hoe (see Tools). Weeding thoroughly this early gives you the upper hand, and is very important.
If you grew a Mittleider garden last year, your beds will be easy to re-make. Just apply Pre-Plant and Weekly Feed to the bed area, then till them in, place strings on your stakes, and re-make the beds.
Be sure to re-check the level of each bed accurately, since they may have changed a little. Do not be satisfied with anything more than 1" fall in a 30'-long soil-bed. Good Gardening!
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