{"id":100,"date":"2014-05-13T19:22:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-13T19:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2014\/05\/organic-gardening-tips-how-to-know-when-to-plant-vegetables.html"},"modified":"2025-12-12T15:21:39","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T20:21:39","slug":"organic-gardening-tips-how-to-know-when-to-plant-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homegardenjoy.com\/site\/2014\/05\/organic-gardening-tips-how-to-know-when-to-plant-vegetables.html","title":{"rendered":"Organic Gardening Tips: How to Know When to Plant Vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"
How do you know when to plant vegetables in the organic garden? Knowing what your\u00a0gardening zone is according to the USDA hardiness map can help you figure out the right time to plant any vegetables.<\/div>\n
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Some vegetables, such as lettuce and radishes, prefer cool weather. Others, like the tomatoes shown at left, thrive in hot weather and actually die if they’re exposed to too much cold. When spring weather is unpredictable, how do you know when it’s okay to plant tender vegetables in the garden?<\/div>\n
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The secret is called the “frost free” date for your part of the country, and it’s wrapped into a number called your Gardening Zone.<\/div>\n
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Let’s get “in the zone” and talk about planting dates.<\/p>\n

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map<\/h2>\n

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the standard which most gardeners use to determine planting dates. You can access the map here.<\/a> If you type in your zip code at the top, it tells you what zone your garden is located in. Easy peasy, right?<\/p>\n

Not so fast….<\/p>\n

Your gardening zone is based on two averages:<\/p>\n