Your Go-To Vegetable Planting Calendar for a Productive Garden

Successful gardens are not planted randomly. They are planted on purpose.

Seeds germinate faster. Transplants settle in without stress. Harvests feel steady instead of overwhelming. And your garden works with the seasons instead of against them.

If you’ve ever wondered:

• “Is it too early to plant tomatoes?”
• “Did I miss my window for fall crops?”
• “Why did my lettuce bolt so fast?”

The answer usually comes down to timing.

This vegetable planting calendar will give you a clear, month-by-month plan so you know exactly what to start indoors, what to direct sow, and when to prepare for the next season.

And if you’re still in the early planning phase, we recommend starting with my guide on how to plan a vegetable garden layout so your timing and spacing work together from the beginning.

Whether you grow in raised beds, containers, or in-ground rows, this guide will help you create a more productive garden year-round.

Understanding Your Growing Zone First

Before diving into the calendar, one thing matters most: your USDA hardiness zone (if you're in the U.S.) or your local climate pattern if you're elsewhere.

Your last spring frost date and first fall frost date determine your planting windows.

To find your zone, visit the official United States Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map online and enter your ZIP code.

If you’re outside the U.S., look up your region’s average frost dates through your local agricultural extension office.

Once you know your frost dates, everything else becomes much easier.

If you’re brand new to growing food, you may also want to read our breakdown of the easiest vegetables to grow so you’re not overwhelming yourself with tricky crops in your first season.

Month-by-Month Vegetable Planting Calendar (Zones 6–8)

This calendar is designed for temperate climates (Zones 6–8).

If you’re in a colder zone, shift everything 2–4 weeks later.
If you’re in a warmer zone, shift 2–4 weeks earlier.

January

Focus: Planning + Long-Season Indoor Crops

Start indoors:

• Onions (bulbing & bunching)
• Leeks
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Early herbs (parsley, thyme, oregano)

Do:

• Order seeds
• Map crop rotation
• Review last year’s notes
• Test soil (if ground isn’t frozen)

If you’re starting seeds indoors this early, having proper lighting makes a big difference.

We share what to look for in my guide to the best grow lights to buy for vegetable gardens so seedlings don’t get leggy.

February

Focus: Early Indoor Starts + Protected Sowing

Start indoors:

• Peppers (bell & hot)
• Eggplant
• Early cabbage
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Head lettuce

Direct sow outdoors (late month if soil workable):

• Spinach
• Fava beans
• Peas
• Mache (corn salad)

Under protection (cold frame/row cover):

• Radishes
• Arugula
• Asian greens

March

Focus: Cool Season Expansion

Direct sow outdoors:

• Spinach
• Lettuce (leaf, romaine, butterhead)
• Peas
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Turnips
• Swiss chard
• Parsnips
• Dill
• Cilantro

Transplant outdoors:

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts

Start indoors:

• Tomatoes
• Basil
• Tomatillos

This is one of the busiest planting months of the year.

Heavy feeders like tomatoes and corn benefit from consistent nutrition this time of year. If you prefer natural inputs, see our best natural fertilizers for vegetable gardens that actually improve soil over time.

April

Focus: Heavy Spring Planting

Direct sow:

• Potatoes
• Onions sets
• More carrots
• More beets
• Mustard greens
• Collards
• Bok choy
• Kohlrabi
• Snap peas
• Shell peas

Late April (warmer areas):

• Green beans
• Cucumbers (if soil >60°F)

Harden off:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplant

Succession sow:

• Lettuce every 2–3 weeks
• Radishes every 2 weeks

May

Focus: Warm-Season Takeover

Transplant (after frost):

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Eggplant
• Sweet potatoes (late May)
• Basil

Direct sow:

• Green beans (bush & pole)
• Corn
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Yellow squash
• Pumpkins
• Winter squash
• Okra (late May if warm enough)
• Melons (cantaloupe, watermelon)

If you’re limited on space, remember that many of these crops grow beautifully in containers.

We share options in my guide to vegetables you should be growing in buckets if you’re working with a patio or small yard.

Mulch everything well.

June

Focus: Succession + Maintenance

Direct sow:

• Bush beans (second round)
• Cucumbers (second round)
• Summer squash
• Okra
• Basil
• Swiss chard

Start indoors (for fall):

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts

Harvest:

• Peas
• Lettuce
• Early carrots
• Radishes
• Spinach

July

Focus: Fall Garden Begins

Direct sow:

• Carrots (fall harvest)
• Beets
• Turnips
• Rutabaga
• Bush beans (early July only)
• Swiss chard

Start indoors:

• Kale
• Collards
• Cabbage
• Broccoli

Late July:

• Direct sow spinach (cooler areas)

Water deeply and consistently.

August

Focus: Peak Fall Planting

Direct sow:

• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Arugula
• Radishes
• Asian greens
• Mustard greens
• Cilantro
• Dill

Transplant:

• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts

This month often produces the sweetest greens of the year.

September

Focus: Transition + Garlic Prep

Direct sow:

• Spinach
• Mache
• Radishes
• Turnips
• Cover crops (clover, rye, vetch)

Plant:

• Garlic (late September in colder zones)
• Shallots

Harvest:

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Squash
• Beans

If you love fall gardening as much as we do, you might also enjoy our full list of cold hardy vegetables to plant in fall for extending your harvest well into cooler months.

October

Focus: Overwintering Crops

Plant:

• Garlic (most zones)
• Shallots
• Onion sets (mild climates)

Sow:

• Winter rye
• Hairy vetch
• Crimson clover

Harvest:

• Kale
• Carrots
• Beets
• Swiss chard

November

Focus: Protection

Harvest:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Brussels sprouts
• Carrots (with mulch)

Protect:

• Garlic beds
• Fall greens

Add compost to empty beds.

December

Focus: Rest + Strategy

Indoor microgreens:

• Pea shoots
• Sunflower shoots
• Radish greens

Plan:

• Succession schedule
• Seed orders
• Crop rotation

How to Customize This Vegetable Planting Calendar for Your Zone

This calendar is a foundation.

To fine-tune it:

1. Identify your last spring frost date.
2. Identify your first fall frost date.
3. Count backward from frost dates using seed packet “days to maturity.”
4. Monitor soil temperature, not just air temperature.

Quick reference soil temperatures:

• 40–50°F: Spinach, peas, lettuce
• 50–60°F: Carrots, beets
• 60–70°F: Beans, cucumbers
• 70°F+: Tomatoes, peppers

A simple soil thermometer removes guesswork completely.

The Role of Succession Planting in a Productive Garden

A vegetable planting calendar becomes truly powerful when paired with succession planting.

Succession planting simply means staggering your planting dates instead of sowing everything at once.

Many gardeners make the mistake of planting all their seeds in a single weekend. The result? One huge harvest followed by weeks of nothing.

By spacing out your planting, you create a steady flow of food instead of a feast-or-famine cycle.

Instead of planting everything at once:

• Sow lettuce every 2 weeks
• Plant bush beans twice per season
• Start a second round of cucumbers in midsummer
• Replant radishes every 10–14 days
• Sow carrots in early spring and again in mid-summer for fall harvest

This strategy keeps your garden producing longer and makes better use of your space.

For example, once early peas finish in late spring, you can immediately replace them with green beans. After pulling garlic in mid-summer, that bed can be used for fall carrots or spinach. Empty space is missed opportunity.

Succession planting also helps you manage kitchen workflow. Instead of being overwhelmed with 20 heads of lettuce at once, you harvest a few at a time over several weeks.

When you look at your planting calendar, think in waves – not single dates.

Add small reminders throughout the season to reseed quick-growing crops. It takes just a few extra minutes but dramatically increases overall yield.

Done consistently, succession planting turns an average garden into a continuously productive one.

If you want a simple visual breakdown, we created a full succession planting chart you can reference alongside this calendar to plan your staggered sowings clearly.

Crop Rotation Planning Within Your Calendar

Your vegetable planting calendar is not just about when to plant. It is also about where to plant.

Crop rotation simply means avoiding planting the same plant family in the same garden bed year after year.

Even if your soil looks healthy, repeatedly growing the same crop in the same spot can quietly drain nutrients and increase pest and disease problems over time.

Common plant families to rotate include:

• Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, potatoes)
• Brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts)
• Legumes (beans, peas)
• Alliums (onions, garlic, leeks)

Each family has similar nutrient needs and attracts similar pests. For example, tomatoes planted in the same bed every year are more likely to develop soil-borne diseases like blight. Brassicas grown repeatedly in one spot may attract cabbage worms and root maggots more heavily.

A simple rotation method:

• Divide your garden into 3–4 sections.
• Move each plant family to a new section every year.
• Wait at least 3 years before returning a family to its original spot.

Legumes are especially helpful in rotation because they add nitrogen back into the soil, making them a great crop to plant before heavy feeders like tomatoes or corn.

Rotation reduces disease buildup, improves soil balance, and helps your garden stay productive long-term.

It is one of the easiest habits to build into your planting calendar – and one of the most powerful.

Make This Your Most Productive Gardening Year Yet

An actual vegetable planting calendar removes hesitation.

You stop guessing.
You stop planting too early.
You stop missing fall opportunities.

Instead, you plant with intention.

Save it. Adjust it to your zone.

And if you'd like a customized version for your exact growing zone, tell me:

• Your USDA zone
• Your average last frost date

Drop it in the comments below, and I’ll help you fine-tune it.

FAQs

How do I adjust this calendar for containers?

Containers warm up faster in spring and dry out more quickly in summer. You may plant slightly earlier, but you’ll need consistent watering and fertilizing.

What if I don’t know my frost dates?

Search your city plus “average last frost date” or contact your local agricultural extension office. Always monitor short-term weather forecasts before planting tender crops.

Can I plant vegetables earlier using row covers?

Yes. Row covers, cold frames, and low tunnels can extend your season by 2–4 weeks in both spring and fall.

How do I plan a fall vegetable garden properly?

Count backward from your first fall frost date. Choose crops with maturity times that fit within your remaining growing window, and allow an extra 1–2 weeks as daylight decreases.

What vegetables should beginners prioritize first?

Start with reliable, forgiving crops like:

• Lettuce
• Radishes
• Bush beans
• Zucchini
• Cherry tomatoes

These tend to produce well and build confidence quickly.