Horticultural News & Monthly Planting Guide
During February or by the 1st week of March, pre-emergent herbicides should be applied to turf areas and landscape beds to prevent warm season weeds from germinating. Remember that most pre-emergent herbicides require at least .5 inch of water to settle the product into the soil.
Winter weeds such as henbit (broadleaf weed with purple flowers) and clover are really taking off in several yards around the area. These can either be mowed to prevent seeds from forming or treated with a broadleaf weed killer containing dicamba or 2,4-d.
Try not to fertilize your warm season grasses too early. Fertilizing Bermuda and St. Augustine yards in the winter may only feed the winter weeds. As a general rule, fertilize warm season turf areas after the second mowing of the season.
At any time of the year you can plant shrubs, trees, perennial flowers, herbs, and ground covers which have been growing in containers. If you are planting during the winter or late fall, they must be plants which are reliably winter hardy in your area. They should also be "hardened off", or gradually acclimatized. This means that they should not come from a warm greenhouse directly to cold temperatures outside. If planting in the summer or late spring, be sure to give new plants enough water for that first summer. Mulching with a 2-4" layer of organic mulch is an excellent way to retain water and keep down weeds.
Balled and burlapped trees can be planted almost any time, but usually do best if they are dug during the dormant season. If they are held past their dormant season, the root balls should be protected from drying and watered frequently.
Month |
Vegetables |
Flowers |
Other plants |
January |
asparagus crown, onion plants, turnips, radishes, collards, kale-southern areas, |
pansies, dianthus, snapdragons |
bare-root trees (usually these are fruit and nut trees); |
February |
onion plants, seed potatoes, asparagus crowns or transplants vegetable seeds (all month except in far north)-collards, kale, radishes, rutabaga, turnips, beets, carrots, Swiss chard, kohlrabi, leeks, mustard, parsley, English and edible podded peas, spinach vegetable transplants (second half of month for most of the area)-broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, parsley, leaf and loosehead lettuces |
pansies, dianthus, nasturtiums, snapdragons, flowering cabbage and kale, calendula, sweet peas (from seed, also) |
bareroot fruit trees (before they break dormancy) |
March |
collards, radishes, cilantro, dill
early in the month: chard, kale, loosehead and leaf lettuces, spinach, turnips
later in the month: beans (snap, pinto, wax, lima, etc.), sweet corn, tomatoes, basils
really late in the month (best to wait until April except in warmest parts): cucumbers, summer squash, peppers |
alyssum, petunias, pansies, dianthus, snapdragons, geraniums
really late in the month (best to wait until April except in warmest parts): zinnias, marigolds, other summer flowers |
|
April |
tomatoes, corn, peppers, eggplant, squash, cantaloupe and watermelons, cucumbers, pumpkins (too early for Halloween harvest, though), okra, southern peas (again, wait a couple weeks to plant these warm season crops in northern areas) |
petunias, alyssum
Summer flowers (in northern areas, wait until the end of the month for the hot weather varieties like lantana and purslane) |
|
May |
tomatoes, corn, peppers, eggplant, squash, cantaloupe and watermelons, cucumbers, pumpkins (Still too early for Halloween harvest), okra, southern peas |
Summer flowers: lantana, portulaca and purslane, periwinkle, zinnias, marigolds, scaveola, cosmos, gazanias, nicotiana |
Warm season grasses (Bermuda, Buffalo, or St. Augustine) from seed and sod |
June |
all melons, pumpkins, gourds, okra, southern peas |
sun annuals: lantana, periwinkle, moonflowers, candle trees, gazanias, purslane and portulaca
shade annuals: begonias, caladiums, coleus, nicotiana |
Warm season grasses from seed and sod |
July |
okra, southern peas, squash
first half of month: most pumpkins and gourds, and tomato, eggplant, or pepper transplants |
same as June |
Warm season grasses from seed and sod |
August |
first half of month: sweet corn, cucumbers, okra, seed potatoes
last half of month: seed of lettuces, snap beans, Swiss chard, collards, kohlrabi, mustard, parsley, summer squash, rutabaga, spinach;
direct seed first half of month or set transplants second half: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage |
wildflower seeds |
winter cover crops (especially in northern areas) |
September |
broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, Chinese cabbage transplants-first half of month
seeds: beets, carrots, leaf or loosehead lettuces, cos or romaine, mustard-first half of month
seeds: radishes, rutabaga, spinach, turnips, winter cover crops, kale, leeks, English peas
seeds or plants: parsley, dill, cilantro, basils |
wildflower seeds |
fescue seed |
October |
garlic, onions, leeks (onions are a gamble-they may not survive the winter)
Swiss chard, collards, kohlrabi, mustard, rutabaga, spinach, turnips-all are marginal in the northern parts, but still worth trying for home gardeners
cilantro, dill-these grow quickly and can be used until they freeze |
pansies and violas, flowering cabbage and kale, dianthus, snapdragons;
bulbs-some daffodils, grape hyacinths, crocuses (depending on your location, some bulbs may need refrigeration) |
ryegrass seed (for overseeding lawns);
cover crops-Austrian winter peas, ryegrass or Elbon rye, winter clovers or vetches;
strawberry plants |
November
and
December |
kale, turnips |
pansies, flowering cabbage and kale, dianthus, snapdragons- (mostly in southern counties): |
|
|
