Best Time to Plant Vegetable Garden

A common dilemma for those new to gardening is the best time to plant vegetable garden outdoors. The answer is as simple as determining the best time to plant for the climate where you live. Those who want to know a particular date for planting their vegetable garden are out of luck because a specific planting date cannot be provided. The planting date will depend upon the weather.

Keep in mind though that even the best gardener can lose plants due to unexpected frosts and an early winter that they were not expecting. Gardening can be a trial and error project but if done properly it is well worth the effort.

Planting manuals for vegetables will tell you that when you are growing spring vegetables it is necessary to set seed in the latter part of the winter. Summer vegetables need to be started in the first part of spring (following the final frost) and fall vegetables need to be planted in the middle to latter part of the summer.

When you are planting many of your spring vegetables you need to be certain that the weather stays mostly around 50 degrees during the evening. When the weather gets warmer at 60 to 70 degrees it is a good time to plant summer vegetables. When looking at labels that state "warm season" and "cool season," remember this is referring to the temperature outside, not necessarily the time of year. Thus vegetables that may not be suitable for planting one part of the country can flourish in another during certain times of the year.

Vegetables like onions, peas, salad greens, cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower, have the ability to flourish in low winter temperatures, even though it is not advised. For many people, starting out a vegetable garden with early spring vegetables can be a better choice.

Vegetables like eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, melons and squash, will perish rapidly if you attempt to grown them in weather that is less than 50 degrees. The only method you can use to maintain these plants outside is to shield them with a plant protection apparatus such as a cloche or cultivate them in a greenhouse.

When planning a vegetable garden, remember that you want to plant all warm season vegetables after the last frost. Pay attention to these frosts, and plan accordingly in order to choose the best, safest growing option. Planting zones and recommended times are usually listed on the back of seed packets.