If you’re new to growing vegetables or just need a refresher, here’s a basic planting calendar to get you started. The dates are approximate and will vary depending on your location, the weather, and the time you have available. If you aren’t able to grow your own seedlings, you can buy them at farmers’ markets, food co-ops, local greenhouses and farm stores in the spring and just follow the transplanting dates below. Visit our fact sheets page for more information on the basics of organic vegetable gardening, making your own seed starting mix and more.
| March 1 | Start indoors: celery, celeriac (3/1 to 3/15), onions and leeks (2/20 to 3/15) |
| March 14 | Start indoors: leaf and head lettuce |
| March 21 | Start indoors: peppers |
| April 1 | Start indoors: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant |
| April 14 | Start indoors: tomatoes Start outdoors: beets, carrots, leaf and head lettuce, peas, parsnips (4/15 to 5/15), radishes, shallots (4/15 to 5/30), spinach, turnips, bunching onions for summer harvest (4/15 to 5/1), onions from seeds or sets Transplant out: leaf and head lettuce, onion seedlings |
| May 1 | Start indoors: melons, squashes, cucumbers Start outdoors: beets, carrots, leaf and head lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard (5/1 to 5/31), turnips Transplant out: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower (5/1 to 5/15 when 4 to 5 weeks old), leeks (5/1 to 5/15) |
| May 14 | Start indoors: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower for fall crop Start outdoors: beets, leaf and head lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, turnip |
| June 1 | Start outdoors: bush green beans, pole beans, beets, Chinese cabbage (5/30 to 7/30), carrots, corn, leaf and head lettuce, peas, potatoes, radishes, spinach, turnip Transplant out: celery and celeriac (6/1 to 6/15), tomatoes, peppers Transplant or direct seed out: melons, squashes, cucumbers |
| June 14 | Start outdoors: beets, corn, leaf and head lettuce, peas, radishes, rutabaga, spinach, turnip Transplant out: cannabis, 4/1 sowing of eggplant, 5/15 sowing of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower |
| June 21 | Start outdoors: bush green beans, carrots |
| July 1 | Start outdoors: beets, corn (short season varieties), kale, leaf and head lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, turnip |
| July 14 | Start outdoors: bush green beans, beets, carrots, leaf and head lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, turnip; hardy bunching onions for fall and spring harvest (7/15 to 8/15) |
| August 1 | Start outdoors: beets, leaf and head lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, turnip |
| August 14 | Start outdoors: leaf and head lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnip |
| September 1 | Start outdoors: leaf lettuce, radishes, shallots for spring green onions, spinach (sow now for fall crop and now until ground freezes for spring crop, well mulched over winter) |
| October 1 | Start outdoors: garlic |
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