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. !

It depends on where you are (what the altitude is and the lowest temperature you get). I built my own greenhouse with scraps of wood and old wondows. I was able to harvest spinach up until very very late in the season (January, temp: 1° F).
I grow tomatoes and I am able to can them (put them in a sterile sealed container). I'm still eating tomatoes from 2 years ago since I'm able to freeze them. I have given tomatoes, lettuce, thyme, rosemary, onions, garlic (planted the fall before) to 4 of my neighbors. I think Spinach is a great way to start. It is rich in vitamins and minerals.
I hope this helps and I wish you success. By the way, there are free plans for a green house online.

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Stay in die western cape. but my garden are covered with shade net
please help me this is the first time ever I started with a garden a pensioner now
Thank you

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I live in WV when can I start planting

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Hi Carrie, See our Best Planting Dates calendar customized to your area:

/gardening/planting-calendar

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Approx. when is the last Spring d=freeze for tomatoes? Also, when I have tomatoes growing, they have been getting rotten on the bottoms of the fruit. I cover the dirt with plastic, but I still get it! Any tips?

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Hi Gina, We hope we can help. We don’t know where you live, but you can check our Frost Dates Calendar which is customized to your zip code here: http://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates

Also, the tomato problem is most likely Blossom End Rot. We have a page about how to manage this common issue here: http://www.almanac.com/content/blossom-end-rot

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Sounds like "blossom end rot" i believe it is a calcium deficiency can be fixed with fertilizer
just give it a google.

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PLZ put the date

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