Year-Round Vegetable Gardening: A Seasonal Planting Guide

Chosen theme: Year-Round Vegetable Gardening: A Seasonal Planting Guide. Plan, plant, and harvest every month with timelines, anecdotes from real beds, and friendly nudges. Subscribe for frost-date alerts, monthly sowing checklists, and stories that keep your hands in the soil.

Know Your Frost Dates and Microclimate

Start by pinning down your average last and first frost dates, then walk your garden at dawn and dusk. Notice warm walls, wind funnels, and shady pockets. Comment with your zone and microclimate surprises.

Crop Rotation That Actually Simplifies Choices

Group crops by families—brassicas, nightshades, alliums, roots, legumes—then rotate beds yearly to reduce pests and disease. Keep notes on yield and soil response. Share the family that challenges you most.

A Living Calendar You’ll Actually Use

Build a seasonal spreadsheet with sowing dates, transplant windows, and expected harvests. Include buffer weeks for weather curveballs. Subscribe for printable monthly prompts tailored to cool, warm, and shoulder seasons.

Summer: Managing Heat and Abundance

Transplant tomatoes, peppers, and basil after soil truly warms. Prune for airflow, trellis early, and feed lightly during fruit set. What heat-loving variety surprised you with flavor last year?

Autumn: Second Spring

Count backward from first frost to schedule carrots, beets, and kale. Choose quick brassicas like bok choy for a reliable October harvest. Comment with your region and we’ll suggest sowing dates.

Autumn: Second Spring

Row covers, low tunnels, and cloches hold precious warmth, shed wind, and foil light frosts. Vent on sunny days to prevent mildew. Ask for our venting reminders delivered by email.

Autumn: Second Spring

One windy October, we draped peppers at dusk, laughing with neighbors as breath fogged. The covered plants sailed through, yielding a final salsa weekend. Share your own first-frost save.

Winter: Growing, Storing, Savoring

Cold Frames and Mini-Greenhouses

A simple cold frame can lift inside temperatures dramatically on sunny days, keeping mache, spinach, and scallions snippable. Track highs and lows with a cheap sensor. Want plans? Subscribe for the build guide.

Overwintering Roots and Greens

Mulch carrots and leeks, then harvest like a treasure hunt after snow. Sow hardy greens in late fall for slow, sweet growth. Tell us what overwintered best in your beds this year.

Microgreens for Bright Winter Plates

Cut trays of pea shoots, radish, and sunflower under a sunny window. Ten days from seed to salad keeps morale high. Share your favorite microgreen topping for soups and grain bowls.

Pests and Diseases: Year-Round Prevention

Scout every few days, hand-pick pests, and deploy traps before populations explode. Spot issues early to protect your seasonal sowing schedule. Ask for our printable fifteen-minute inspection routine.

Pests and Diseases: Year-Round Prevention

Plant umbellifers and native perennials to host lady beetles and parasitic wasps. Leave a small, messy corner as habitat. Comment with the beneficial insect you spotted first this season.

Save Seeds with Confidence

Start with self-pollinators like tomatoes and beans. Ferment tomato seeds, dry thoroughly, and label with year and variety. Ask for our seed-saving cheat sheet aligned to seasonal planting windows.

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Reading Catalogs Like a Grower

Circle days-to-maturity that fit your frost dates, then plan successions. Choose disease resistance that matches your notes. What catalog variety earned a permanent spot in your year-round plan?

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Neighborhood Seed Stories

Host a winter swap with tea and soup. Trading heirlooms builds community resilience and flavor diversity. Share a local seed story we can feature in an upcoming seasonal newsletter.

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From Garden to Table to Garden Again

Compost That Closes the Loop

Layer kitchen scraps with browns, turn occasionally, and cover to retain moisture. Mature compost smells like woodland floor. Post your most satisfying compost win from this year’s rotations.

Preserving the Surplus

Freeze blanched greens, can tomato sauce, and lacto-ferment pickles to stretch seasons. Label jars with sowing dates to learn your best windows. Want our preservation planner? Subscribe and download.

Share Your Seasonal Plate

Cook by the calendar—spring risotto with peas, summer ratatouille, fall roasted roots, winter kale soup. Share a photo and zone so we can suggest your next planting milestone.