Tools
Garden charts, checklists, troubleshooters and a letter, grouped by the question you came with. Each one shows where its figures come from.
When do I plant?
Frost dates by locationLast spring and first fall frost for the weather station nearest your ZIP code, with the odds of a late or early one.
Hardiness zone by ZIP codeYour USDA plant hardiness zone and half zone from a ZIP code, read from the latest USDA map's own listing.
Spring planting plannerWhen to start seeds, set out transplants and sow each vegetable, counted from your last spring frost.
Fall planting plannerThe last day to sow or transplant each fall vegetable so it is ready before your first frost.
When to plant garlicWhat university Extension pages say about planting garlic in fall, state by state, each shown on its own and never averaged.
Soil temperature for plantingThe lowest, best and highest soil temperature for seeds of common vegetables.
Georgia garden calendarWhat to plant and do each month in a Georgia vegetable garden, with the fall count-back rule.
Central NC planting calendarSpring and fall planting windows for vegetables, fruits and herbs in central North Carolina.
Start seeds indoors
Seed starting scheduleHow many weeks to grow vegetables indoors, month by month, from the University of Minnesota.
When to start tomato seedsWhen to start tomato seeds indoors and set them out, by source, counted from your last spring frost.
Seeds not germinatingNothing came up: old seed, too deep, too cool or too wet.
Leggy seedlings fixTall, thin, floppy seedlings: light first, then warmth and crowding.
Hardening off checklistSteps for toughening indoor seedlings and moving them into the garden.
Why is my plant sick?
Blossom end rot fixDark, sunken patch on the bottom of a tomato or pepper: the likely cause and the fix.
Tomato leaf curlCurled tomato leaves: weather stress, weed killer drift or residue, mites or a virus.
Squash flowers, no fruitFlowers but no squash: timing, weather or pollination.
Powdery mildew fixWhite powder on squash, cucumber or fruit leaves: confirm it, then prune, spray or prevent.
Lay out my beds
Plant spacing chartDistance between plants for common vegetables, fruits and herbs.
Days to harvest chartHow long vegetables take to harvest from seed or from a transplant.
Crop rotation by familyWhich vegetables share a family, and how long to wait before replanting one.
Soil pH by plantThe soil pH range common vegetables prefer, and what a reading outside it means.
First-year garden checklistA checklist for a first vegetable garden: site, soil, frost date, spacing, rotation and seed.
Look after the yard
Lawn mowing height chartMowing height for cool- and warm-season lawn grasses, from three regional Extension tables.
HOA turf replacement letterA letter asking an HOA to approve clover, groundcover, garden beds or a lower-mowing lawn.
Sprinkler winterization checklistThe shut-off, drain, blow-out and protect steps for a sprinkler system before winter.