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I have seen quite a few planting calendars circulating on Facebook lately. They are coming from various bloggers, seed catalogs, and garden centers. And while I’m sure these planting calendars contain lots of great information, one key part of information is missing from all of them … A location!
It may seem obvious that if you are in Maine you have a different growing season than someone in Florida, but did you know that even within the same state, you could have very different growing seasons? I live about 45 minutes north of Philadelphia, in zone 7A. I have friends in South Jersey, also in zone 7A, and their growing season starts about 2 weeks before me. Its not a huge difference, but its enough for planting outdoors.
After looking at the almanac, and several growing guides for our area, plus personal experience, I have come up with my own planting calendar for eastern PA & southern NJ. I have listed some of the more popular vegetables that I grow, as well as a date for starting the seed indoors, and for transplanting them into the garden or direct sowing the seed. But here’s the thing, these dates are never firm. Never! Some years, we will have a very mild winter, and you could move up your planting a little bit. Other years, we will have snow and icy temperatures into late April. Those years, I hold off transplanting until after Mother’s Day.
Planting Calendar – Eastern PA & Southern NJ
|
Start Indoors |
Transplant or Direct Sow |
|
| Beans |
April 1 |
May 1 |
| Beets |
*** |
Mach 15 |
| Broccoli |
February 15 |
March 15 |
| Carrots |
*** |
March 15 |
| Cauliflower |
February 15 |
April 1 |
| Celery |
*** |
April 1 |
| Corn |
*** |
April 15 |
| Cucumbers |
March 15 |
April 15 |
| Eggplant |
February 15 |
May 1 |
| Leeks |
February 15 |
March 15 |
| Lettuces |
February 15 |
March 15 |
| Melons |
April 1 |
May 1 |
| Onions |
January 15 |
March 1 |
| Green Onions |
*** |
February 15 |
| Peas |
February 15 |
Mach 15 |
| Potatoes |
*** |
March 15 |
| Pumpkins |
April 15 |
May 15 |
| Radishes |
*** |
March 15 |
| Spinach |
February 15 |
March 15 |
| Summer Squash |
March 1 |
April 15 |
| Tomatoes |
February 15 |
April 15 |
| Winter Squash |
April 1 |
May 1 |
So when you see those planting calendars this year, make sure they are relevant to your area and your growing season.
I don’t have the space to start my own seeds indoors, but have lots of outside space for growing. Our Mother’s Day tradition is to go late morning/early afternoon to a local farm for seedlings and spend the rest of the afternoon planting them.
What a great tradition! Mother’s Day is my day to go to the nursery for the things I didn’t start (or that the kids/cats knocked over). Happy Gardening!