Cool & Warm Seasons
Vegetables are divided into two groups: Cool season and warm season.
Cool season crops such as lettuce and peas are planted in early spring and, optionally, again in summer and fall for late season crops. This practice of doing more than one planting and harvest per year, is called "succession planting". Cool season crops need to mature before warm weather arrives when they tend to “bolt” or “go to seed” (aka aren’t very tasty anymore).
Warm weather crops, on the other hand, will only thrive when planted into warm soil (typically over 60 ° F) with consistently warm days and nights (which can be simulated ahead of Mother Nature’s schedule using special protections, available for sale online).
The part of GrowingVegetableGardens.com tells you when to plant what, as does each plant information page under .
To find your "average last frost date" use the link located in the Resources box at right.
| VERY HARDY Plant 4-6 weeks before average last frost. |
FROST TOLERANT Plant 2-3 weeks before average last frost. |
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| TENDER Plant on average last spring frost date. Soil temperature should be at least 55 ° F. |
WARM LOVING Plant 1-2 weeks after average last frost. Soil temperature should be at least 60 ° F and overnight lows consistently over 50 ° F. |
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| Seed | Transplants | Seed | Transplants |
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More Information
Visit the Vegtables Forum at GreatLakesGardeners.com to get answers to your growing vegetables questions. To ask a new question, Register if you haven't already done so(it's free and helps protect the forum from spam), click on Start New Topic, enter your question and click on Post New Topic.
Come join us at our Vegetables forum, Herbs forum and Growing Vegetables & Herbs blog.
You may also appreciate these books on growing vegetable gardens.
