Garden Planting Calendar
Garden Planting Calendar For Growing Vegetables in the Western Rocky Mountains
Judith Reynolds
Copyright c 2010 Judith Reynolds
A guide to planting dates for Sowing seed indoors or in a greenhouse for later planting in the garden Planting indoor or greenhouse grown starts in the garden or in winter cold houses Direct seeding in the garden Direct seeding in winter cold houses
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Introduction When I began gardening year-round in the Rocky Mountains, I became increasingly confused as I tried to keep track of when I needed to plant seed indoors, directly into the garden, or into my winter cold houses. To bring order to chaos I began to make charts of my optimum planting dates for each variety and desired harvest time. Finally I put the results of my charts and record keeping into a monthly calendar format that I could follow easily. .
To further simplify things, I color coded each planting category for quick reference. Thus, if I wanted to check my dates for direct seeding in the garden, I could easily glance through all the green typeface entries. The following categories have been abbreviated in the main text of this handbook so please refer to this list for clarification. Sow seed for starts indoors or in greenhouse Plant starts in the garden Plant starts in winter cold houses Sow seed directly into the garden Sow seed directly into winter cold houses
By “winter cold house� I mean cold frames, low tunnels, hoop houses, etc. that are unheated. They rely on layers of protection enabling them to create growing conditions approximately two zones warmer than normal. I grow cold tolerant vegetables throughout the winter months in these structures. To learn more about this method see Elliot Coleman and his Four-Season Harvest books in Maine. The dates I offer here reflect my vegetable garden experience at 4,000 feet near Corvallis, Montana. They are conservative in my garden and require minimal covering of plants during the spring and early summer months.
Many gardeners find they can plant as much as ten days to two weeks earlier than I do while others, located at higher elevations or in frost pockets, plant ten days to two weeks later. Frost protection (season extenders) also enable gardeners to plant earlier in the spring and summer as well as later into the fall. Each garden has its own microclimate and will vary from my experience. You can learn a great deal about your garden by using these dates as a general guide and keeping your own records. This way you will discover the planting dates that work best for you. .
If there are crops you plan to grow that I have not included here, you can compare their growing information with crops I grow that have similar requirements to determine planting dates. If you plant by the moon, you can use these dates to help determine what to plant during each moon cycle during the growing season
Happy planting!
January
15 Direct seed winter cold house Spring Harvest (If winter is mild) arugula, carrots, chard, claytonia, lettuce, mache, orach, spinach
February
15 Start seed indoors Late summer harvest celery, onions, parsley, shallots, summer leeks Winter harvest winter leeks Direct seed winter cold house Spring Harvest (If winter is mild) arugula, carrots, chard, claytonia, lettuce, mache, orach, spinach
March
15 Start seed indoors Summer harvest eggplant, tomatoes, peppers Direct seed winter cold house Late spring harvest arugula, carrots, chard, cilantro, claytonia, lettuce, mache, mizuna, orach, spinach
cress,
April 1 Direct seed garden Late spring/early summer harvest arugula, carrots, chinese greens, green onions, lettuce, mache, orach, peas (unsprouted or sprout peas for several days before planting), radish, Spinach Start seed indoors Summer harvest basil Fall harvest broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage 15 Direct seed garden Fall harvest Potatoes Start seed indoors Late summer harvest cucumbers
May 1 Direct seed garden Summer harvest arugula, carrots, chard, cilantro, cress, lettuce, mizuna, orach, spinach Plant starts in garden parsley 15 Start seed indoors Summer harvest summer squash, winter squash Plant starts in garden Late summer harvest onions, shallots, summer leeks Fall harvest broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage Plant starts in winter cold house Winter harvest winter leeks
June 1 Direct seed garden Summer harvest arugula, beet greens, chard, cress, lettuce, orach, spinach Summer/fall harvest beans, beets, corn, cucumber, squash Winter harvest carrots Plant starts in winter cold house Fall harvest parsley 7 Plant starts in garden Summer harvest eggplant, tomatoes, peppers - protect from frost 15 Direct seed garden Fall/winter harvest beets, peas Plant starts in garden Summer harvest basil - protect from frost
July 1 Direct seed garden Late summer harvest arugula, beet greens, chard, lettuce, spinach
25 Direct seed winter cold house Winter harvest chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi
August 1 Direct seed garden Fall harvest claytonia, collards, kale, lettuce, mache, mizuna, spinach, tatsoi
15 Direct seed winter cold house Winter harvest cilantro, claytonia, cress, mache, sorrel, spinach Spring harvest green onion
September
15 Direct seed garden Spring harvest arugula, cilantro, cress, mache, lettuce, mache, orach, spinach
October 10 Direct seed garden Summer harvest garlic
15 Direct seed winter cold house Early spring harvest arugula, claytonia, green onions, lettuce, mache, spinach,
November
Rest
December
Rest