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Vegetables are divided into warm season and cool season crops.
Generally, plants that we harvest for their fruit--such as tomatoes, squash, peppers, eggplant, melons, and lima beans-need
a lot of heat and long days to grow well. If there isn't enough heat during the day to satisy a plant's heat
requirements, it will just sit there and do nothing.
Cool season plants, on the other hand, do quite well
when the weather is on the cool side. These are generally the leafy and root vegetables: carrots, beets, spinach, cabbage,
and lettuce. You also have to include peas as a cool season plant, even though you harvest the fruit. When the
weather is cool and the days short, these plants put all their effort into forming leafy or root materials.
Besides
warm season and cool season vegetables, we also have early and late varieties of most vegetables. The early varieties
require less heat to mature than the late variety. It's wise to plant varieties that are early, mid-season, and
late to follow through the entire season. However, if you live in an area that is continually cool throughout the summer,
never rising above temperatures in the 70s, you might plant only an early variety, because it requires less heat to mature
than the late variety.
Vegetables by Growing Season
Spring
Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Carrots, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Onions, Radishes, Scallions,
Turnips
Summer
Beans, Cucumbers, Corn,
Eggplant, Melons, Peppers, Pumpkins, Squash, Tomatoes
Fall
Beets,
Broccoli, Carrots, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Radishes, Spinach, Turnips
All this means is
that you have to watch the heat requirements of particular plants to know when to plant in your area.
Cool-season
crops-Adapted to 55 degrees to 70 degrees
Tolerant of some frost:
Asparagus, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, mustard greens, New Zealand spinach,
onions, radishes, spinach, turnips, and rutabagas.
Intolerant of frost at maturity:
Carrots, cauliflower, endive, lettuce, peas, rhubarb, Swiss chard.
Warm season crops requiring 65 degrees to 80 degrees day and night.
Beans,
corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra, peppers, squash, and tomatoes are readily damaged by frost.
Mother Nature's Planting Guide
Condition
Development
of color in flowers from spring bulbs, such as tulips or narcissus...Plant beets, carrots,
leaf lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, and spinach.
Condition
Appearance
of plum and cherry blossoms...Plant head lettuce.
Condition
Appearance
of apple, cherry, quince, and strawberry blossoms...Plant everything else, cucumbers, melons, squash, tomatoes
and so on.
Planting With a Frost Map
The only problem in referring to a frost map is that it's impossible to group the entire country into clearly
defined climatic regions. Within each region you'll find many different miniclimates, where the average date of
the last killing frost varies. A frost map can be helpful, however, in determing approximately when to plant in the
spring.
Planting With a Frost Map
1. In Zones 6,7,8, and 9, plant these vegetables from fall to early spring. In all other zones plant these
vegetables 2 to 4 weeks before the last killing frost in spring: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, lettuce, mustard
greens, onions, peas, radishes, rutabagas, turnips.
2. Plant these vegetables on approximately the date of
the last frost. They tolerate cool weather and very light frost: Beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Swiss chard.
3. Plant these vegetables after the ground has warmed up: Beans, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, melons, okra,
peppers, squash, tomatoes.
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