Spring, Summer and Fall Vegetables and Fruits

If you would like a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables from your garden throughout the growing season, planting by season may be for you. Some plants love cool weather and others love hot weather.

When you stagger plantings depending on the weather, you will always have fresh fruits and vegetables (as long as it is not freezing outside).

Grow the cool weather crops during the Spring and Fall. Grow the Hot weather plants during the summer. Here is a chart that lets you know when to plant each plant.

Plant these plants in early spring:

Arugula, Broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Chives, Collard Greens, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lavender, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onions, Oregano, Parsley, Rhubarb, Rosemary, Sage, Sweet Peas, Strawberries, Swiss Chard, Tarragon and Thyme.

These plants can handle cooler temperatures.

Some of these plants are also good for planting in the Fall.

Plant these plants after the last Spring frost for your area:

Basil, Beans, Cantaloupe, Corn, Cucumber, Dill, Eggplant, Lemon Balm, Mint, Okra, Peppers, Pumpkin, Squash, Stevia, Strawberries, Sweet Potato, Tomatoes and Watermelon.

These are more heat-tolerant plants that love lots of sun. They are very sensitive to cooler air and lack of sun. Plant them in an area where they will get direct sunlight for most of the day.

Plant these plants in the late Summer and early Fall:

Arugula, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cilantro, Collards, Garlic, Kale, Lettuce, Mustard Greens, Onions and Parsley.

As you can see, some of these plants were listed as plants you can start growing in the Spring. They love the cooler air.

If you would like fresh herbs during the Winter, you can plant and grow them in pots inside your house.

Make sure you pick a spot that has plenty of light and is warm.

This type of garden is sometimes called a kitchen garden.

When a recipe calls for herbs, you can just cut off a few leaves from your herb plant to add to your food.

The plant will continue to grow as long as you leave most of its leaves on.

Seedlings are very particular when they first begin to grow. They need just enough light and moisture to get them going.

Hardening plants off before planting them outdoors is very important. If you begin growing your seedlings indoors, you will want to take them outside in increasing amounts of time each day until you are ready to plant them. For example, you might want to take your seedlings outside for an half an hour the first day, an hour the second day, two hours on the third day and so on. If they are planted outside too quickly, they could die because they are too tender for the outdoor elements.

Stake your Peppers and cage your tomatoes to give them support. If they are not given support, they will grow along the ground and either rot or be eaten by bugs and small animals.

Water your plants regularly, especially in the beginning.

Train Cucumbers to climb a trellis or fence to keep them off the ground. It will keep them away from pests and keep them from decaying when they touch the ground. They will also take up less room in your garden if you trellis them upwards.

Spray for disease regularly and spray for insects after you see damage. You can make your own insecticide by mixing a gallon of water with a drop or two of blue Dawn dish detergent. Too much Dawn will kill the plants immediately, so be careful not to add too much.