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The Best Vegetable Gardening Planting Times for Your Zone
Many people think that if you stick a seed in the ground and give it some water, it will grow, but seasoned gardeners know it is not that simple. While water, soil, and sunlight all play a part in growing a garden understanding the best vegetable gardening planting times for your crop and for your zone will make your growing season a success.
What Zone Are You?
Vegetable gardening planting times vary depending on where you live. The United States Department of Agriculture has divided up the United States, Mexico, and Canada into zones of hardiness and the map of those zones will help you to understand the unique vegetable gardening planting times for the place that you live.
The zone map breaks North America down into separate zones that are based on the lowest winter temperature for each area. California is in a different zone than New York, because New York experiences much colder winters than those on the west coast. An orange tree will survive in the warm California zone, but would die if it faces a New York snowstorm.
Because planting zones are based on weather patterns, they give you a basis for deciding you vegetable gardening planting times. In warmer zones, plants can go into the garden much earlier. For example, in some parts of Texas, you can plant cantaloupe from September to February, but in Minnesota, you couldnt plant your cantaloupe until May. If you could work the ground, and you planted cantaloupe seeds in St. Paul in March, the cold weather would keep your seeds from sprouting and if you transplanted older plants into the garden a killing frost would destroy them.
Vegetable Gardening Planting Times for Fall Gardens
There is nothing better than reaping a second harvest long after your garden should be done producing. It is easy to get a fall harvest if you understand vegetable garden planting times. If you want to have a fall crop of beans, corn, or even tomatoes, make sure you replant those crops in your garden in July.
Fall is also a great time for growing cold weather crops that will bolt in the summer. Take time to plant peas, lettuce, and cabbage in mid July to early August and you will be harvesting these cool weather crops about the time your neighbors are tilling their gardens under for the year. Root crops also thrive in the fall, so late august is the time to plant your leftover radish seeds for a sweet treat in the lovely days of Autumn. |
