Month By Month Gardening In The Carolinas

It's hard to keep track of what to plant when in the garden, so check out this zone 7 vegetable garden planting guide to what you grow in the garden when. If you are in a higher zone, you can use it two weeks ahead of the dates listed, and if you are in a lower zone, two behind.

My Little Sprouts and I try our hardest to grow as much of our own food as possible. We like a wide variety of food, so we plant a wide variety of food. It's hard to keep track of what to plant each month, so here is a guide to what you grow when.

Scroll down to the end of the post and check out the green text for a free printable month by month list.

Oklahoma garden planning guide

We live in Oklahoma in Zone 7a, so you may have to check the USDA planting zones and see where your planting zone may differ. Click to check it out. In most cases, you can use the same list for your garden planning, but adjust it a few weeks one way or the other to find your optimal planting times. Check out all the Oklahoma growing zones here.

It's hard to keep track of what to plant each month, so here is a vegetable garden planting guide to what you grow when. It will help a lot!

If you are north, you will need to do things a few weeks later, and if you are south, you will need to do things a few weeks earlier. It's a fairly simple adjustment to your garden planning.

seedlings growing in pots waiting for planting vegetable garden planting guide

This month by month vegetable planting guide will help you keep track of each type of plant and each growing season in your Oklahoma garden. There's a free printable link at the very end of the post.

Our garden is run by preschoolers. They plant all the plants and harvest most produce. They do have a couple of pretty awesome weed patrol agents and garden prep staff.

We like to practice succession planting, or planting things every few weeks to spread out our harvest and have a continuous supply throughout the growing season. Our average last frost date is April 15, so if you find yours, you can adjust your planting times according to how many weeks away from ours it is.

This is average, so remember, anything can happen. We had a freeze in the middle of May one gardening year. You never know!

Lettuce and herbs growing in rows in the vegetable garden

Monthly planting calendar

Corn and cucurbits, which include cucumbers, melons, and squashes prefer not to have their roots disturbed and don't transplant well so you want to direct seed them in the ground when possible. Cruciferous and nightshades such as cabbages, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and tomatoes and peppers don't germinate in the ground as well and prefer to be started in a controlled environment.

They are finicky germinators. They like constant temperatures when they sprout. In addition, carrots, lettuce, peas, and radishes germinate well in the ground outside. Okra does well direct seeded too.

child planting pepper plant in the garden

There are some plants that are replanted to grow a new crop, such as garlic. You just take a head of homegrown garlic or garlic intended for planting and not eating, and break off each clove and plant it in the ground. A new head will grow from that clove.

✔Here's a link to garlic seed like we plant. Softneck is great for storage and if you don't plant it all, you can just eat the rest.

Potatoes are cut into individual chunks and cured for two weeks and then planted in the ground. Sweet potatoes are sprouted in water and the "slips" or green parts that grow are planted directly into the ground. Onions do better when you plant a set or tiny onion plant than when you try to grow them from seed. That is our experience anyway, anything is possible.

Colander full of fresh picked green beans, peas and tomatoes.

Here in the deep summer, it's too hot to plant anything. These months are filled with harvesting and struggling to keep your plants alive and keep them from drying out too fast. You may be able to plant some things during this time, but not usually. Let your instincts guide you in the garden.

Even if you think you can't garden because you don't have a yard or live in an apartment, click the highlighted text to see how you can!

Zone 7 planting schedule

This is the zone 7 planting schedule we use at Little Sprouts. For a free printable copy, scroll to the end and click on the link.

February: Cabbage Plant

Carrots Seed

Cauliflower Plant

Swiss Chard Seed

Kohlrabi Seed

Lettuce Seed or Plant

Onion Sets or Plant

Peas Seed

Potato Tuber pieces

Spinach Seed

Kale Seed

Month by month planting guide

March: Cabbage Plant

Carrots Seed

Cauliflower Plant

Swiss Chard Seed

Kohlrabi Seed

Lettuce Seed or Plant

Onion Sets or Plant

Peas Seed

Potato Tuber pieces

Radish Seed

Spinach Seed

Broccoli Plant

Kale Seed

Herbs Plants

April: Radish Seed

Beans Seed

Cucumber Seed or Plant

Pumpkin Seed

Summer Squash Seed or Plant

Corn Seed

Herbs Plants

Flowers Seed

May: Melons Seed

Cucumber Seed or Plant

Okra Seed

Pepper Plant

Tomato Plant

Pumpkin Seed

Summer Squash Seed

Winter Squash Seed

Sweet Potato Plant (slips)

Tomatillos Plant

Vegetable planting guide zone 7

June: Cucumber Seed

Okra Seed

Pepper Plant

Tomato Plant

Summer Squash Seed

Winter Squash Seed

Sweet Potato Plant (slips)

Tomatillo Plant

September: Cabbage Plant

Carrots Seed

Cauliflower Plant

Swiss Chard Seed

Kohlrabi Seed

Lettuce Seed or Plant

Onion Sets or Plant

Peas Seed

Potato Tuber pieces

Spinach Seed

Broccoli Plant

Kale Seed

Gardening month by month

October: Cabbage Plant

Carrots Seed

Cauliflower Plant

Swiss Chard Seed

Kohlrabi Seed

Lettuce Seed or Plant

Onion Sets or Plant

Peas Seed

Potato Tuber pieces

Radish Seed

Spinach Seed

Broccoli Plant

Kale Seed

Garlic Clove

For more tips on what to do in the garden:

What to do in the garden in

January and February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Oklahoma planting chart

What are you planning to plant in the garden? For seeds from the Little Sprouts garden such as Luffa seeds and okra seeds, check out our Etsy page. I hope this vegetable garden planting guide helps you work it out. If you want to check out how to plan your garden, click here. Happy planting!

And don't forget to plan your garden with companion planting ideas in mind. You'll have more garden success!

For links to free garden seed catalogs, click on the highlighted text.

Click here if you want to garden, but you don't know how?

Free printable month by month garden planting guide

Month by month garden planting guide free printable

Don't forget to pin for later!