Cold season plants

Temp below freezing and guaranteed chance of frost. While most plants go dormant during the Winter- Plants like Broccoli, kale and cabbage are cold tolerant. With a little help from you with things like a cold frame, they can continue to grow throughout the winter.

In the cold season, most plants are dormant underground. But they are busy getting what they need to come out when the time is ready for them. So, when you are planting, don’t look at them as though they don’t exist or forget where you planted them. That is why the journal is very important. It lets you know what you have planted and where you planted them, so you don’t plant over them and lose them.

Large plants like kales and broccoli need to be in the center of the garden or along the back side of a border garden, otherwise they will block the sun from the other plants.

Medium size plants, like Swiss chard can be grown on either side of the large plants or just in front of them.

Small Plants like spinach, carrots, aster flowers, dianthus and violas are present in cold because, they can tolerate the temperature.

Cool season plants

Between 35-65 degrees

These are small and short plants like lettuce, buttercrunch, spinach, garlic, arugula, romaine, onion, scallion, and radishes.

In the cool season, many new plants can be put in the garden as soon as you are able to work the ground. Just remember in your planning stage which plant grows large so you can place them in the appropriate place.

Large plants

Broccoli, kale, snow peas and fava beans. They should be in the center or in the back.

Medium plants:

Dill, cilantro, parsley, Swiss chard, beets, sage, thyme, and rosemary

Medium plants either on the sides of the large plants or just In front.

Small plants:

Like lettuce, onion plants, garlic and carrots should be placed in the front where they can get the amount of sun they need.

Warm Season Plants

Between 65-85 degrees.

Small plants

Zinnias, marigolds, sorrel, chives, garlic arugula.

Some small plants in the warm season are oregano, marigold, thyme, and aster flowers.

Medium plants

Swiss chard, basil, rosemary, thyme, bush beans, garlic, chives, oregano and peppers.

Large Plants

In the Warm season the garden will be overflowing with larger and taller plants like vines. These tend to spread in your garden. Here’s where you can implement a trellis. A trellis will support the vine plants like squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and cucumbers and help them to grow upwards. In this way it will leave more room on the ground for other plants, like arugula, or lettuce.

Hot Season Plants

85+ degrees

Small Plants

Zinnias, thyme, oregano, chives, arugula.

Medium Plants

Swiss Chard, lima beans, hot peppers, rosemary, crowder peas, and basil

Large Lengthy Plants

Armenian cucumber, sweet potatoes, gourds, pole beans, okra, eggplant, tomatillos and ginger.

In the hot season when the temperature gets high, some warm plants will stop flowering. That’s ok. They will still continue to flourish as long as you keep implementing the things you’ve learned through these lessons. If you do, you should have no problem.

Click here to visit “The National Gardening Association”   This link is very important in determining when and what time you need to plant. Just enter your zip code.

I can’t tell you which plant to choose. I don’t know what vegetables you and your family prefer. Or what zip code you’re in. But regardless of where you are, just put in your zip code and you can verify the suitability of the plants you have chosen.