Vegetable Growing Guide

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How to Grow Vegetables

November 30, 2023

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In one handy chart, the �� Vegetables Growing Guide summarizes when to start seeds indoors and outdoors, the soil temperature needed to germinate, the plant’s hardiness level, when to fertilize, and when to water.

Of course, see the master Planting Calendar for more specific dates by YOUR zip code for all your common vegetables.

Vegetables Growing Guide

Note: Each of the vegetables listed below links to an individual vegetable plant guide that covers sowing to growing to harvest!

Vegetable	Start Seeds Indoors (weeks before last spring frost)	Start Seeds Outdoors (weeks before or after last spring frost)	Minimum Soil Temp. to Germinate (°F)	Cold Hardiness	When to Fertilize	When to Water
Beans	—	Anytime after	48–50	Tender	After heavy bloom and set of pods	Regularly, from start of pod to set
Beets	—	3 before to 3 after	39–41	Half-hardy	At time of planting	Only during drought conditions
Broccoli	6–8	2–3 before	55–75	Hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	Only during drought conditions
Brussels sprouts	6–8	—	55–75	Hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	At transplanting
Cabbage	6–8	1 before to 1 after	38–40	Hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	Two to three weeks before harvest
Carrots	—	3–5 before	39–41	Half-hardy	Preferably in the fall for the following spring	Only during drought conditions
Cauliflower	6–8	1 before to 1after	65–75	Half-hardy	Three weeks after transplanting	Once, three weeks before harvest
Celery	6–8	—	60–70	Tender	At time of transplanting	Once a week
Corn	—	2 after	46–50	Tender	When eight to ten inches tall, and again when first silk appears	When tassels appear and cobs start to swell
Cucumbers	2–4	1–2 after	65–70	Very tender	One week after bloom, and again three weeks later	Frequently, especially when fruits form
Lettuce	4–6	1 before to 2 after	40–75	Half-hardy	Two to three weeks after transplanting	Once a week
Melons	2–4	2 after	55–60	Very tender	One week after bloom, and again three weeks later	Once a week
Onion sets	—	4 before	34–36	Hardy	When bulbs begin to swell, and again when plants are one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Parsnips	—	0–3 before	55–70	Hardy	One year before planting	Only during drought conditions
Peas	—	4–6 before	34–36	Hardy	After heavy bloom and set of pods	Regularly, from start of pod to set
Peppers	8–10	—	70–80	Very tender	After first fruit-set	Once a week
Potato tubers	—	0–2 after	55–70	Half-hardy	At bloom time or time of second hilling	Regularly, when tubers start to form
Pumpkins	2–4	1 after	55–60	Tender	Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Radishes	—	1 before to 1 after	39–41	Hardy	Before spring planting	Once a week
Spinach	—	4–6 before	55–65	Hardy	When plants are one-third grown	Once a week
Squash, summer	2–4	1 after	55–60	Very tender	Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Squash, winter	2–4	1 after	55–60	Tender	Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall	Only during drought conditions
Tomatoes	6–8	—	50–55	Tender	Two weeks before, and after first picking	Twice a week

Ready to plan an amazing vegetable garden? Let’s get to the drawing board. !

You can save broccoli seeds though the seed takes a long time to mature. Let the pods dry and go brown. This can take a couple of months.
Once brown, crack them open and you'll see dark brown dots. Those are the seeds. Store in a cool, dry place until planting time. You can tie a paper bag over the pods so that the day that the dry pods shatter, you don't lose he seeds. Also, keep in mind that broccoli will cross with all members of Brassica oleracea so you want some distance between the plants for pure seed!

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Last year my tomatoes were great for the first third of the harvest. Then they started to have holes in them. Not tiny holes but holes big enough to see easily. Some even finger size. Since I did not know what was making the holes or why I threw them away. It happened to every tomato that I grew unless I picked then when they were so green that they were not very good. This was my first garden so unsure of what happened. Also my peppers never grew at all. Any thoughts?

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I think you might have horn worms on your tomatoes plants. You have be able to see these worm. they are large and green in color. Just pick them off and squish them.

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From the information that you provided you may have "stink bugs" also known as "shield bugs". They break the skin of a tomato while it is green by sticking a tube from it's mouth into it. They will secrete a fluid from their organs into the tomato turning the flesh into a liquid that they will feed on. Try "Neem Oil" to spray on the plants and tomatoes. Neem Oil is organic and non-toxic to humans and pets.

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We have all probably had this happen: something is eating your tomatoes. Tomato horn worms can devastate a crop. Tomato fruit worms can (also) bring you to tears. (These go by several names: tobacco bud, corn ear-, and cotton boll worm.) And those are just a couple possible pests.
Treatments get mixed reviews; some sources recommend insecticides with BT.
Peppers may be a different story, or not. This additional outcome--on plants that are generally considered companions to tomatoes--makes us think that you should check your soil's pH and quality/amount of compost.
Then again, the problem might have originated with the plants. The tomatoes could have carried worm eggs. The peppers may have been weak. Or planted too soon in season.
There are lots of factors that might contribute. Gardening is somewhat of an experiment. Keep at it.

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We're planning our first veggie garden in over thirty years! I'm at a loss to know the number of plants or rows to provide for seasonal eating as well as canning and freezing for a family of six adults. We have limited space so figuring the size of the garden will be important. In consideration for the garden: tomatoes,green beans,sweet peas,summer squash,bell and hot peppers,pickling cukes,okra,sweet corn,leaf lettuce and radishes.Can you suggest a scource for this information?

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Hi, Merimags,
This free �� Garden Planner might be really useful for you:
http://gardenplanner.almanac.com/
Also, did you check out the main Gardening Page? Right at the top, there's a beginner's gardening plot plan that might be helpful.

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