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When to Plant Your Garden

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Be sure to check out our previous post, Five Important Tips on Gardening, to help you with further gardening questions.

There are many ways to start a garden, and it can be right on your patio, or it could be in a large area in your backyard like ours. Either way, these tips below will help you get started, so you can enjoy tasty fresh veggies/herbs or make your home more welcoming with some colorful flowers. Let’s get started!

1) What Plants Will Grow in Your Area

Before you start buying your seeds or seedlings, grab a pen and paper and do some research. Research online or in an almanac for the types of plants that grow best in your area. This is a very important and essential step before gardening.  This step may sound a bit overwhelming, but rest assured once you learn this information and write it down somewhere safe, odds are you’ll never have to do this step again.  This is what you need to do:

a.) Find What Zone You Live In
This USDA map is the standard by which gardeners and growers use to determine the plants that are most likely to thrive at a specific location.

In this map, the United States is broken down into 13 zones.  Type in your zip code to find your zone. This interactive map will show you a complete breakdown of the city or area that you live in. Once you know the zone you live in, you can better determine which plants will grow better in your area. Plant almanacs and seed packets most often refer to these zones. A simple google search ‘What Plants Grow Best in Zone ___(your zone)‘ will give you a list also.

b.) Start Your Plants Early – Grow in Containers/Egg Shells
You can start your plants early indoors or in a greenhouse. There are several plants that can be grown in containers: Tomatoes, Herbs (Chives, Basil, Rosemary Oregano…), Onions, Cucumbers, Lettuce, etc.  You can even start your seeds in Egg Shell Planters.

c.) Sun or Shade
Most plants and vegetables love the sun and require a lot of heat to grow (Peppers, Tomatoes, Lavender, etc.). Most of these require 6 hours or more of sun per day. If you do not have an area where plants can receive this amount of sun, then that plant may not work very well for you. Those with apartments or growing on patios may experience this issue.  Good news! There are many other plants that require less sun and lots of shade, such as lettuce, beans, radishes, parsley, carrots, and more.

Follow these steps and know your zone before planting. This is essential, so you are not wasting your money or time.

2. Know Your Frost Alerts

This is very important! Most plants will not survive a frost! If you plant your plants too soon and there is a frost, they will DIE overnight. (see images below)


You can find out your frost dates in your area by almanac or your weather service provider. If you already planted your plants, you can still save them by covering them before an evening with bags, clothes, or containers (see image).

3. ) Read Your Seed Packet for More Information

Each seed packet should give you guidelines on when to plant. You will notice that most packets will say to plant after frost.

The first thing to notice is the small map of the United States.  Locate what color you are in by the state you live and then look at the legend right above it.

Example: For these Morning Glories, if you lived in Florida, you would wait until March-May to plant, according to the legend. If you are in the Northern part of the United States, you wouldn’t plant these until May – June.

Also, you can see where it has Planting Instructions and Suggestions to help you with your plant. Most packets include this also. As you can see, this pack of seeds also requires full sunlight.

Not all seed packets are Alike.

Different seed packs will read differently. Some will suggest planting seeds a few weeks before warm weather. If so, follow the instructions and start your plants indoors. I started mine by making eggshell planters and a small greenhouse that I purchased online. Do this before you plant outdoors.



Sunnydaze Portable 4-Tier Mini Greenhouse for Outdoors – Clear – $64.95
With four shelves for growing plants and storing supplies, this mini greenhouse is perfect for creating the ideal climate for growing all your favorite vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Durably constructed from an iron tubing frame with steel wire shelves and a UV-protected PVC covering, this plant shelter is sure to last through many growing seasons. The durable cover protects plants from UV rays and inclement weather, like frost, excessive heat, and moisture. A roll-up door makes accessing your plants easy and allows you to control airflow in and out of the greenhouse.

Let's Keep Going and Keep Growing Together!

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Let's Keep Going and Keep Growing Together!

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