A Simple Planting Calendar for Your Backyard Garden

A good garden starts with timing. Plant too early and a late frost undoes your work; too late and the summer heat beats you to it.

Find your frost dates

Your county extension office lists average last spring and first fall frost dates. Write them on the calendar first.

Count backward for seedlings

Tomatoes and peppers start indoors about six to eight weeks before the last frost.

Cool crops go first

Lettuce, peas and spinach handle chilly soil and can go in a few weeks before the last frost.

Warm crops wait

Beans, squash and cucumbers want warm soil. Patience pays off.

Keep notes

Jot down what you planted and when. Next year's calendar writes itself.