Vegetable Planting Calendar
Never miss a sowing window again. Select your climate zone and month to see exactly what seeds to start indoors, what to direct sow outside, and what is ready for kitchen harvest.
March Gardening Plan
Early spring awakening. Cold-tolerant crops get direct-sown outdoors or moved under row covers.
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Eggplants
- Basil
- Direct sow peas, spinach, radishes, carrots; plant seed potatoes
- Wintered lettuces under low tunnels
March Pro Tip: Never work soil while it is soggy or clumpy. Squeeze a handful into a ball: if it crumbles when poked, it is ready for cultivating.
12-Month Sowing & Harvest Matrix (Mid-Latitude)
| Month | Indoor Seeds | Outdoor Sowing / Set Out | Garden Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | Onions, Leeks | Spread compost over dormant raised beds on thawed days | Collards, Carrots under heavy leaf mulch |
| February | Broccoli, Cauliflower | Prune fruit trees and berry canes before buds break | Overwintered spinach and mache |
| March | Tomatoes, Peppers | Direct sow peas, spinach, radishes, carrots; plant seed potatoes | Wintered lettuces under low tunnels |
| April | Finish hardening off warm-season nightshades | Transplant brassicas; sow carrots, beets, beans; plant potato slips | Asparagus, rhubarb, radishes, green onions, baby spinach |
| May | None | Direct sow green beans, cucumbers, melons, sweet corn, summer squash | Strawberries, lettuces, baby carrots, spring peas |
| June | Sow fall broccoli and cauliflower in seedling flats in partial shade | Keep up with succession sowings of bush beans and cilantro | Garlic scapes, blueberries, bush beans, new potatoes |
| July | Start fall brassicas under shade cloth or indoors | Direct sow second crops of carrots, beets, and fall beans | Hardneck garlic, sweet corn, big slicing tomatoes, bell peppers |
| August | None | Transplant fall broccoli, kale, cabbage; direct sow carrots and winter lettuce | Onions, garlic, sweet corn, slicing tomatoes, blackberries |
| September | None | Plant garlic cloves and shallots; direct sow spinach and winter greens | Pumpkins, sweet potatoes, late tomatoes, peppers, pears |
| October | None | Plant hardneck and softneck garlic; cover fall brassicas with frost fabric | Sweet potatoes, winter squash, late peppers, sweet fall carrots |
| November | Sprouting seeds and countertop greens | Finish planting garlic; top raised beds with 2 inches of compost | Frost-kissed kale, collards, Brussels sprouts, cabbage |
| December | Window herbs and winter salad greens | Check cold frames on sunny days to vent excessive heat buildup | Winter leeks, cold-tunnel greens, stored root crops |
Disclaimer: Dates are general guidance for the continental US. Check your local last/first frost dates and your county extension office for localized microclimate adjustments.
Understanding USDA Plant Hardiness Zones
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into 10-degree Fahrenheit zones based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature. Knowing your zone is essential for determining when your local soil warms up enough for tomato and pepper transplanting, and when you must harvest tender winter squash before frost damage occurs.