We’re getting to the time when we can put seeds & plants into the ground. Some things can go in early, other things need to wait for warmer days.  How do we know what to plant when?  Here are a few ways that work for me and if you have others, please let me know.

Frost Free Dates.  Most plants can’t take a frost or freeze so they need to go in after danger has passed.  That is tricky since we can’t be sure what the weather might bring but we do know the average dates based on years of records.  At higher elevations like Mount Holly that date is about May 30 and at lower elevations of Wallingford, Shrewsbury, or Ludlow that is about May 24.  These are averages and only best guesses, not absolute rules!  Unless you are a competitive gardener it’s not important that your plants go in on the earliest dates anyway.  If you would like recommendations for specific plants then you can use one of these online tables for your zone.

Johnny’s Seeds uses your zip code/hardiness zone to tell you when to start indoors, how long to grow indoors, and the earliest dates to transplant outside by crop. They also have a neat calculator for repeated or succession plantings so you can plan for harvests throughout the growing season.  Enjoy salad greens, beans, etc. all summer long instead of getting overwhelmed in July and then having none.  Yes, we can grow lettuce & zucchini all summer long!  

The Old Farmers’ Almanac has a similar table plus they include planting by the moon dates.  An added feature of the Almanac is that clicking on the name of the plant opens a growing guide for that specific plant.  Very convenient. 

Finally, the University of Vermont Extension/Master Gardeners program has a great website that includes planting schedules based on agricultural zones plus details about spacing, depth, number of seeds.  Remember that depending on your exact location, we are in either zone 4 (higher) or 5 (lower elevation).

A more “natural” way to determine local planting dates is based on observing nature’s signals.  (“You can see a lot by observing”, Yogi Berra)  I first encountered this practice among the Mayan farmers in Central America where they use observations of natural events to determine when to clear land, when to burn, when to plant, and when to expect pests.  We can do something similar by using our own local natural events for an indication of when to plant no matter where you garden.  Scientists refer to these chronological events in nature as Phenology.  Here is a list of suggestions that you can use in your garden (apologies for the messy layout):

Earliest times to plant…                              Is when…

• Peas & onion sets                          forsythia / daffodils begin blossoming
• Lettuce, beets, carrots, spinach    first lilac leaves, dandelions in bloom
• Transplant broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, & cabbage                         dandelions in bloom
• Potatoes                                              dandelions in full bloom
• Beans, cukes, squash                       lilacs in peak bloom
• Tomatoes lily of the valley / late apple blossom
• Corn                                                     oak leaves are dime size (young)
• Peppers, melons, eggplants             irises in full bloom

Using these planning tools takes a lot of the guesswork out of planting and makes gardening more productive and enjoyable.  I tend to be conservative and plant a little later than the earliest dates.  Delayed planting of squash and cucumbers, for example, can also avoid the main hatching of cucumber beetles so reduces pest damage.  Let us know your best ideas too.