The normal struggle to determine when to plant:
Trying to explain when to prepare your garden, start seeds inside, and plant outside is so confusing! That is because the timing is different for each location. For example, I live less than 30 minutes away from my cousin, yet she can plant 2 weeks sooner than I can!
When to plant is all based on your “last frost date”. This is the average date of the last spring frost in your area. After this date it is generally safe to transplant frost-sensitive plants and seeds.
From the frost date you count backwards and forwards: 12 weeks before your last frost date is a good time to start cabbage and peppers indoors from seed. 5 weeks before is the soonest you should transplant the cabbage outside to the garden, but the peppers have to wait until 2 weeks after the last frost date to be transplanted. How can a person keep it all straight?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A CHARLIE BROWN CARTOON, AND I JUST SAID “WAH, WAP, WAH, WO, WAH?” That’s because this is CONFUSING!!! Don’t worry, I’ve made it simple!
A Simple, Easy Way to know when to plant!
In hopes of making it simpler, I have created the Planting By Color system. It’s SO EASY!!! All you do is find your color, sign up for my newsletter, and you will get automatic reminders of which tasks can/should be completed each week.
Keep in mind that these groups include a 2-week span, and based on average temperatures. You may still need to adjust your planting times depending on weather–if you’ve had an extended winter, you may want to wait longer. If you’ve had a mild winter and an early spring, you may want to plant a little sooner.
Go here to signup for the newsletter!
Happy gardening!
Terri–Done! http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/frost_dates.html
Thank you so much.
Hi Emily, Upon further discussion with friends in our area, I’ve discovered that it was wishful thinking to say that we are in the “blue group” for our spring frost dates. Would it be possible to change my newsletter to the “VIOLET group”? And if so, could you send me any previous newsletters which have gone out to that group? I absolutely love your website and have already recommended it to a number of friends and family! Thanks so much. – Randi
your dates do not seem to correlate with the southern hemisphere. Any chance you will be adding some colors that relate to us down here? I am in Melbourne Australia and from my research my first fall frost is in may and last spring from in early sept. I am trying to set up my first SFG and any help I can get would be marvelous!
Heather–I don’t have plans to add colors. Your best bet is to get the e-book–it comes with a “custom” schedule that outlines the 15 weeks, and you fill in the dates.
Is your ebook compatible with the NOOK color?
It is in pdf format, and it is in color. I’m not sure how it would work on the Nook. It is intended to function as a workbook that you print out.