Tools in This Collection
Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar
Generate a complete sow and transplant schedule based on your frost dates
Vegetable Garden Planner
Map out bed layouts based on plant counts and spacing requirements
Frost Date Calculator
Look up last spring frost and first fall frost dates for your location
Seed Starting Date Calculator
Count back from your transplant date to find when to start seeds indoors
Harvest Date Calculator
Predict harvest windows by adding days-to-maturity to transplant date
Companion Planting Guide
See which crops grow well together and which inhibit each other
Plant Spacing Calculator
Calculate how many plants fit in a bed based on spacing requirements
Seed Depth Calculator
Find the correct planting depth for any vegetable or flower seed
Native Plant Finder
Identify native plants that thrive naturally in your region
Plan Your Vegetable Garden From Frost Date to Harvest
Every vegetable garden starts with two numbers: your last spring frost date and your first fall frost date. Everything else — when to start seeds indoors, when to transplant, when to expect the first tomato — flows from those anchor dates. Zone 7 gardeners (last frost around April 15) who want to grow tomatoes should start seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before that date, meaning seed starting begins around February 18. Get that calculation wrong and you're either transplanting too early (frost kills seedlings) or too late (short season).
Building Your Planting Calendar
Start with the Frost Date Calculator to look up your last spring frost and first fall frost dates by ZIP code or city. Once you have those dates, the Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar generates a complete schedule showing indoor start dates, transplant dates, and direct-sow windows for 40+ vegetables based on your frost dates. The Seed Starting Date Calculator counts back from your last frost to tell you exactly when to germinate each crop — tomatoes need 6-8 weeks, peppers need 8-10 weeks, and onions benefit from 10-12 weeks of indoor growing.
The Vegetable Garden Planner helps you map out bed layouts based on plant counts and spacing. The Harvest Date Calculator adds days-to-maturity to your transplant date to predict when each crop will be ready — a tomato transplanted May 1 with 75 days to maturity should be harvested around July 15.
Spacing, Companion Planting, and Seed Depth
The Plant Spacing Calculator tells you how many plants fit in a given bed based on each variety's spacing requirements. A 4x8 foot raised bed can hold 32 lettuce plants at 6-inch spacing, or just 2 zucchini at 24-inch spacing. The Companion Planting Guide shows which crops grow well together and which inhibit each other. Tomatoes and basil are mutually beneficial; fennel inhibits nearly all vegetables and should be planted away from the main garden. The Seed Depth Calculator gives the correct planting depth for any vegetable — a general rule is to plant seeds at a depth of 2-3 times their diameter. The Native Plant Finder helps you identify plants that thrive naturally in your region for low-maintenance landscaping around the vegetable garden.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start seeds indoors?
Count back from your last frost date: tomatoes 6-8 weeks, peppers 8-10 weeks, onions 10-12 weeks, broccoli and cabbage 4-6 weeks. Use the Seed Starting Date Calculator to get exact dates for any crop. Starting too early produces leggy, root-bound transplants that struggle after planting — bigger is not better when it comes to transplant size.
What is companion planting and does it work?
Companion planting pairs vegetables that benefit each other — through pest deterrence, pollinator attraction, or efficient space use. The classic 'Three Sisters' combination of corn, beans, and squash is well-documented: corn provides a trellis for beans, beans fix nitrogen, and squash shades the ground to retain moisture. Some companions are based on anecdotal evidence rather than research, but avoiding known inhibitors (like fennel near most vegetables) is well-supported.
How many vegetables can I fit in a 4x8 raised bed?
It depends entirely on plant spacing. A 4x8 bed (32 sq ft) can hold: 32 lettuce plants at 6-inch spacing, 8 pepper plants at 12-inch spacing, 4 tomato plants at 24-inch spacing, or just 2 zucchini at 24+ inch spacing. The Plant Spacing Calculator converts bed dimensions and plant spacing to exact plant counts and shows whether you can fit in multiple crops with succession planting.
What's the difference between direct sow and transplant dates?
Direct sow dates are when you plant seeds directly in the garden — cool-season crops like carrots, peas, and spinach can be direct sown 4-6 weeks before last frost. Transplant dates are when you move indoor seedlings outside — typically after last frost for warm-season crops. The Garden Planting Calendar shows both dates for each crop so you know which method applies and when to act.