Figuring out when to plant vegetables in your area requires a little detective work. In addition to your geographic location, you’ll need to consider a few other variables, as well.
A quick online search for “frost-free date” + your geographic area should give you a good idea of when it might be safe to plant in your region.
As you’re deciding when to plant vegetables in your garden, pay close attention the “days to maturity” information noted on the seed packages or plant markers for the vegetables you’ve selected.
The “days to maturity” for a particular vegetable variety gives you an idea of how early you need to get that plant into the ground if you want it to reach maturity before your first hard frost date
For example, you can’t wait until late summer in northern climates to plant pumpkins seeds that require 160 days to mature.
On the other hand, you can plant fast-growing lettuce varieties with confidence until 30 days or so before your expected last frost date.
Knowing when your prime growing season begins and ends – and how you can get the most out of it – will make you a much more successful food gardener.