Planting calendar for your town

Every crop on one sheet: when to start seeds indoors, when to plant outside and when the first harvest comes, month by month. Type your town; the calendar below is for Columbus, OH.

The year in Columbus, OH

start indoorsplant or sow outsideharvest begins

Crop	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Onions	start indoors	start indoors, plant	start indoors, plant out, sow outside, plant	plant out, sow outside, plant		harvest	harvest					start indoors
Leeks	start indoors	start indoors	plant out			harvest	harvest
Celery	start indoors	start indoors		plant out
Parsley	start indoors	start indoors	start indoors	plant out, sow outside
Kale	start indoors	start indoors, sow outside	start indoors, plant out, sow outside		harvest			fall planting	fall planting
Cabbage	start indoors	start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside	harvest	harvest		fall planting	fall planting
Peppers		start indoors	start indoors	plant out	plant out	harvest	harvest
Broccoli		start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside	harvest	harvest		fall planting	fall planting
Brussels Sprouts		start indoors	start indoors, plant out			harvest	fall planting, harvest	fall planting
Eggplant		start indoors		plant out	plant out	harvest	harvest
Cauliflower		start indoors	start indoors, plant out	plant out, sow outside	harvest		fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Marigolds		start indoors	start indoors	plant	plant
Roses		plant	plant	plant
Apple Trees		plant	plant	plant						fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Cherry Trees		plant	plant	plant
Tomatoes		start indoors	start indoors	plant out	plant out	harvest	harvest
Peas		sow outside	sow outside	sow outside, harvest	harvest			fall planting	fall planting
Lettuce		start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside	harvest	harvest		fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Radishes		sow outside	sow outside, harvest	sow outside				fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Spinach		sow outside	sow outside	sow outside, harvest					fall planting	fall planting
Collard Greens		sow outside	sow outside	harvest	harvest			fall planting	fall planting
Swiss Chard		start indoors	start indoors, sow outside	plant out, sow outside	harvest	harvest		fall planting	fall planting
Basil		start indoors	start indoors	plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside, harvest
Blueberries			plant	plant	plant				fall planting	fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Rhubarb			plant	plant						fall planting	fall planting
Lilies			plant	plant					fall planting	fall planting
Zinnias			start indoors	plant	plant
Potatoes			plant	plant	harvest	harvest	harvest
Carrots			sow outside	sow outside	harvest	harvest	fall planting	fall planting
Beets			sow outside	sow outside	harvest			fall planting	fall planting
Turnips			sow outside	sow outside, harvest	harvest			fall planting	fall planting
Asparagus			plant	plant
Okra			start indoors	sow outside	sow outside	harvest	harvest
Strawberries			plant	plant					fall planting	fall planting
Raspberries			plant	plant
Hostas			plant	plant	plant			fall planting	fall planting
Hydrangeas			plant	plant	plant				fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Cucumbers			start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside	harvest	fall planting	fall planting
Zucchini (Summer Squash)			start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside, harvest	harvest		fall planting
Winter Squash			start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside		harvest	harvest
Pumpkins			start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside		harvest	harvest	harvest
Watermelon			start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside		harvest
Cantaloupe			start indoors	start indoors, plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside		harvest
Bok Choy		sow outside	plant out, sow outside	plant out, sow outside, harvest	harvest			fall planting	fall planting
Dahlias				plant	plant
Gladiolus				plant	plant	plant
Dill				sow outside
Sweet Corn				sow outside		harvest	harvest
Green Beans				sow outside	harvest	harvest	fall planting	fall planting
Sunflowers				plant	plant
Sweet Potatoes				plant	plant		harvest	harvest	harvest
Irises							fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Arugula								fall planting	fall planting
Peonies									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Garlic									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Shallots									fall planting	fall planting
Daffodils									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Tulips									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Hyacinths									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Crocus									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Ornamental Alliums									fall planting	fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Crape Myrtles										fall planting	fall planting	fall planting
Cilantro

Counted from the average last frost (Apr 18 in Columbus, OH) and first frost (Oct 27). Hover or tap a cell for its step; each crop's page has the exact ranges.

How to use it

Read across a row to follow one crop through the year, or down a column to see what a month asks of you. In Columbus, OH the busiest months for sowing and planting are March (30 crops), April (24 crops), February (20 crops). Cool-season crops show two planting windows, one in spring and one in late summer, because they grow best in the cool weather on either side of summer.

The calendar follows the average year. In a warm spring you can move the outdoor dates a week earlier; in a cold, wet one, wait for the soil to warm, since seeds rot in cold soil. Keep a row cover handy for frost nights after your last frost date.

Timing: university extension guides (listed on each crop's page). Frost dates: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020. General timing; your local extension office has the final word.