Planting windows for Mt Vernon
Computed from Mt Vernon's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-8 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Feb 15 – Mar 15 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Feb 1 – Feb 15 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Feb 22 – Mar 15 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Jan 25 – Feb 8 | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Mar 22 – Mar 29 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Mar 22 – Mar 29 |
| 🌿 Basil | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 5 – Nov 2 |
Want this for all 50 crops, or as a printable seed-shelf schedule? Use the planting calendar and the seed starting scheduler — both can use Mt Vernon's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Mt Vernon
With roughly 246 frost-free days, Mt Vernon gardens fit long-season crops — melons, winter squash, sweet potatoes — with room left for spring and fall rounds of greens and roots. The first frost around Nov 16 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.