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Planting VegetablesKnow When to Plant What for a Bountiful GardenChoose a sunny locationMost vegetables need six to eight hours of direct sun a day for best results. Locate the garden so that access is easy and convenient. The ideal garden location has loose soil that drains well.

Make the garden the right sizeA 12-by 16-foot plot is sufficient for a garden sampler with a variety of greens, some herbs, a few tomatoes and peppers, beans, cucumbers and even edible flowers. Include flowers in the garden because they are beautiful and a joy to cut and bring indoors. Flowers also attract pollinating insects to the garden.

Create a garden from your planYou’ll need a tape measure, plenty of string, 12- to 18-inch stakes and a hammer to drive the stakes into the ground. Rototill or turn the garden by hand and remove excess weeds.

Raise the bedsIn a raised bed garden, the soil is formed in 3 to 4 foot wide beds, which can be of any length or shape. The soil is raised above the surrounding soil (6 inches to waist high), sometimes enclosed by a frame generally made of wood, rock, or concrete blocks, and enriched with compost. Vegetable plants are spaced in geometric patterns and much closer together than conventional row gardening. The spacing allows moisture to be conserved and weed growth suppressed. Raised bed gardens also prevent soil compaction, provide good drainage and serve as a barrier to variety of pests such as slugs and snails.

Feed the soilUse natural fertilizers and compost. Nutrients from most organic products are released into the soil slowly.

Decide what to grow and whenMany vegetables are best started from seeds sown directly in the ground. Others go in as seedlings.

Easiest to growThe most reliable crops to grow in much of the country are arugula, beets, swiss chard, green beans, leaf lettuce, parsley, peppers, radish, summer squash and tomatoes.

Time it rightThe average date of frost in spring is the key to use in garden planning. If you don’t know the date for your region, check with your local nursery.

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Spring vegetable gardenTake advantage of the cool, wet weather of spring to put in multiple crops of peas and lettuce. It’s also a great time to get your perennial vegetables, like asparagus and rhubarb, started.

Planting VegetablesKnow When to Plant What for a Bountiful Garden

Fall vegetable gardenIn general, vegetables that grow best in cool weather are leafy greens, root crops and various members of the cabbage family. Beets, carrots, peas, chard, endive, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, turnips, radishes, spinach, oriental vegetables like Chinese cabbage and bok choy and transplants of late cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts may be planted in early August for fall harvesting.

*Maturity time frame may vary by climate and vegetable type, see seed or seeding packaging for specific time of maturity.

Plant Spacing (P=Plants / R=Rows) Seed planting depth Time to maturity*

Asparagus P=14” / R=24-36” 4-5” Second year

Beets P=4” / R=18” 1/2” 55-70 days

Broccoli P=24” / R=30-36” 1/2-1” 90-110 days

Cabbage P=24” / R=24-36” 1/2” 65-120 days

Carrots P=2-4” / R=18-24” 1/2” 120-150 days

Cauliflower P=15” / R=24-36” 1/2” 90-110 days

Corn (sweet) P=3” / R=24” 1” 65-95 days

Cucumbers P=36-48” / R=36-48” 3-4 plants per mound 1” 60-75 days

Eggplants P=24” / R=36” 1/2” 60-80 days

Lettuce P=8-12” / R=18-24” 1/4” 40-90 days

Peppers P=24” / R=24” 1/2” 65-80 days

Potatoes P=8” / R=36” 3-6” 90-120 days

Pumpkins P=6-8” / R=36” 3-4” 100-120 days

Radishes P=1-3” / R=18-24” 1/2” 21-30 days

Spinach P=6” / R=12-18” 1/2” 40-50 days

Summer Squash P=36” / R=36” 3-4 plants per mound 1/2-1” 50-60 days

Tomatoes P=30-36” / R=30-36” 1/2” 60-80 days

Watermelon P=72” / R=72” / 1-2 plants per mound 1” 85-95 days