Madison Planting Calendar

Questions remaining - When can I plant my fall planting of spinach, kale, lettuce, broccoli, and chard? When to plant collards, cabbage, leeks and

ground cherry? - 6 weeks before last frost

Planting Calendar

To know when you plant your seeds, use this planting calendar. This calendar tells you to sew your onions indoors. I would strongly recommend you buy onion sets as they are regularly inexpensive and the space and time you take to seed onions just isn't worth it. I'm sure I'll be making changes and comments on this calendar as the season progresses and probably also after I take my urban gardening course at the local cooperative. I have adjusted this planting calendar to coincide with my availability to plant on Sundays.

February 17. I will start some Kale early indoors (I'd much prefer to direct sow this, but I will try some indoors for an experiment. I will also try a few lettuce, spinach, cabbage, kale, swiss chard and collard. broccoli indoors for experiment, though only a few because I much prefer direct planting. I will also sow a few early tomatoes just for fun in case we have a super hot summer early (not impossible with latest weather trends).

Kale - Red Russian from seed savers exchange
Swiss Chard - 5 color silverbeet from seed savers
Cabbage - Mammoth Red rock from seed savers
Collard - Georgia Southern from seed savers

Lettuce - Red Leprechaun

Broccoli - Calabrese

Broccoli - Romanesco

February 17. I will start my pepper seeds I have saved from my grocery peppers in the kitchen as it's the warmest place in the house. I will sow a few basil seeds, but I will sow most of these outdoors.

Pepper - from saved grocery seed

Basil - ?

Thai Basil - ?

February 24. Work on tomato stands, garden fence, planning out garden layout. 

March 3. As soon as soil can be worked, I will direct plant my snow peas (my favorite!), carrots, lettuce, and spinach, kale and swiss chard. start some tomato seeds indoors.

Pea - Amish Snap 

Tomato, Amish paste

Tomato, Wisconsin 55

Tomato, Beam's Yellow Pear

Tomato, Black Krim

Carrot - Dragon

Lettuce - Red Leprachaun (Cool weather lettuce)

Lettuce - SSE Lettuce Mixture (Cool weather)

Lettuce - Red Romaine (Cool weather)

Swiss Chard - Five Color Silver Beet

Spinach - America

Kale - Red Russian

March 10. Transplant lettuce, broccoli and kale seedlings into the garden (such a pain, but I will only have a few). Plant more lettuce, spinach, carrots, kale, chard and snow peas outdoors (successive plantings every ~10 days) Direct plant some broccoli.

March 17. Start some Collards, broccoli, cabbage indoors

March 24. Sow another successive planting of spinach, snow peas, carrots, kale, chard and lettuce outdoors.

March 31. Sow more lettuce, spinach, carrots, kale, chard and snow peas.
plant all "indoors 6 weeks before last frost"
ground cherry
broccoli - calabrese
broccoli - romanesco

April 14. Sow more lettuce, spinach, carrots, kale, chard and snow peas. Sow directly in garden seeds for sunflowers and nasturtiums. Plant onion sets and a few potatoes (potatoes can be a huge pain with the pests that eat the leaves and digging them up requiring so much work, but I'll try a few.)

Sunflowers - ?

Nasturtiums - ?

Onion Sets - Cobra (savers)

April 21. Transplant tomatoes to garden (maybe). 

Corn - Blue Jade

Corn  - Cherokee long ear (popcorn)

Beans - ?

April 28. Sow a few pumpkin and cucumber seeds outdoors and start a few indoors in case the outdoor ones get frosted. 

Pumpkin - ?

Cucumber - Japanese climbing

Cucumber - pickling

May 12. Last frost.Transplant peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers outdoors (maybe). Sow beans outdoors. Sow Corn outdoors.

May 19. Sow warm-weather lettuce crop in garden. Sow more beans.

Warm weather lettuce - ?

June 9. Happy Birthday to me!!! Sow 2nd warm-weather lettuce crop.

June 30. Sow 3rd warm-weather lettuce crop (Summer Crisp type) indoors or in garden. Sow 3rd crop of beans.