Seasonal Planting Calendar for Edibles

Chosen theme: Seasonal Planting Calendar for Edibles. Grow in rhythm with the seasons using practical timelines, cozy anecdotes, and clear guidance to keep your edible garden productive all year. Join our community, swap tips, and subscribe for gentle reminders tailored to the calendar and your climate.

Know Your Frost Dates and Zone

Use trusted sources to find your average last spring frost and first autumn frost, then write them in your calendar. These dates guide when to start cool-season sowing and warm-season transplants. Recheck yearly—local weather shifts, and microclimates matter.

Know Your Frost Dates and Zone

Hardiness zones indicate winter lows, but your planting windows ride on frost dates. Zone 5 gardeners start tomatoes later than Zone 9 gardeners, yet both can enjoy spring greens. Adjust sowing by weeks relative to frost, not by month names alone.

Spring: Cool-Season Kickoff

Sow lettuce, spinach, arugula, mizuna, and cilantro 4–6 weeks before your last frost. Stagger plantings every 10–14 days for steady harvests. A simple row cover shields tender seedlings from cold snaps and hungry birds while your calendar paces the plantings.

Spring: Cool-Season Kickoff

Direct-sow carrots, radishes, beets, and turnips as soon as the soil is workable. Keep the seedbed consistently moist to encourage even germination. Thin patiently; timing here affects size later. Note each sowing date so your next round lands right on schedule.

Transplants and soil temperature

Set out tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants only after frost risk passes and soil reaches about 60–65°F. Cold soil stalls roots and invites stress. Warm beds with mulch or fabric, and stake early. Your calendar protects yield by preventing impatient, risky plantings.

Direct-sow classics

Sow beans, cucumbers, squash, and corn when nights stay reliably mild. For sweet corn, plant successive blocks every 7–10 days to stagger ripening. Keep notes on each sowing; this habit turns summer abundance into a measured parade rather than a chaotic glut.

Water, mulch, and midday shade

Deep, infrequent watering encourages resilient roots, while straw mulch locks moisture in. Shade cloth during heat waves can save blossoms on tomatoes and peppers. Subscribe for timely seasonal nudges so you never miss a key watering window during scorching spells.

Fall: A Second Season

Count-back scheduling

Check your first frost date, then count backward using days to maturity plus two weeks for shorter light. Start broccoli, cauliflower, and kale in midsummer so transplants hit cool weather at the right moment. Your calendar becomes a friendly coach for timely fall harvests.

Quick wins before the freeze

Sow radishes, arugula, and baby lettuces for speedy autumn salads. Choose fast maturing varieties and plant in moist, lightly shaded soil. Row cover extends harvests and keeps flea beetles at bay. Share your favorite quick crops so others can fine-tune their calendars.

Season extenders that buy you weeks

Low tunnels, cloches, and cold frames buffer chilly nights and light frosts, stretching the edible season. We picked tender lettuce on Halloween under a simple tunnel, surprising skeptical friends. Set reminders to install covers before that first forecasted cold snap arrives.

Plant garlic and shallots in fall, 2–4 weeks before the ground freezes. Mulch generously, then relax while roots establish. In late winter, start onion seeds indoors by the calendar, ensuring sturdy transplants for spring. Set reminders so this reliable cycle never slips.

Asparagus, rhubarb, and strawberries follow seasonal cues. Plant crowns in early spring or fall, weed carefully, and mulch to stabilize moisture. A perennial bed becomes your garden’s heartbeat, returning every year on schedule without replanting, grounding your edible calendar beautifully.

Sow hardy seeds in vented containers outdoors for natural chill cycles that break dormancy. Label clearly and group by month to simplify tracking. It feels like bottling winter’s patience. Tell us which seeds sprouted first when the light finally tipped toward spring.

Create a living calendar

Build a simple spreadsheet using weeks before and after last frost (W-8 to W+12). Record sowing dates, varieties, and outcomes. Add phone reminders to nudge your next round. Subscribe for monthly checklists that align with these windows and keep momentum going.

Interplant for continuous harvests

Tuck radishes among young carrots, sow lettuce under trellised tomatoes, and replace spent peas with late beans. Each move respects the season’s clock. Your notes help refine timing so interplants complement, rather than compete, across spring, summer, and fall transitions.

Seed backups and timing insurance

Keep a few extra seedlings ready for weather hiccups or slug raids. If a round fails, your calendar already earmarks the next date. This gentle redundancy keeps plates full, stress low, and the garden’s seasonal rhythm happily on track.

Balcony spring abundance

Sow salads in wide, shallow boxes and peas in deep containers with netting as soon as spring warms. Morning sun is gold for cool crops. Water often, and log sowing dates so quick containers stay staggered and generous from week to week.

Compact summer champions

Choose determinate tomatoes, bush beans, patio peppers, and cucumbers bred for pots. Warm decks speed growth, so shade cloth may be helpful during heat spikes. Set repeat reminders for watering and feeding; containers move fast, and the calendar keeps you timely.

Autumn pots and winter greens

Transition containers to kale, chard, and mizuna in late summer for fall color and flavor. Add a portable cloche to steal extra weeks. A windowsill herb pot keeps meals bright through winter. Tell us your favorite compact variety for shoulder seasons.

Soil Care Through the Year

Top-dress compost in spring, then sow fall cover crops like clover, rye, or oats before first frost. Chop and drop in spring to enrich beds. This steady cycle rebuilds structure, supports microbes, and smooths each season’s transitions for your edibles.

Soil Care Through the Year

Apply a light spring mulch to protect seedlings, then thicken it in summer to conserve moisture. In fall, refresh with leaves or straw, and let winter settle it. Your mulch calendar becomes a calm, dependable rhythm the plants quickly learn to love.