Planting windows for Elgin
Computed from Elgin's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-8 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Jan 31 – Feb 14 | Apr 25 – May 2 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Mar 14 – Apr 11 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Feb 28 – Mar 14 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Mar 14 – Mar 28 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | Apr 18 – Apr 25 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | Apr 18 – Apr 25 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Apr 18 – Apr 25 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Apr 18 – Apr 25 |
| 🌿 Basil | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | Apr 25 – May 2 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Sep 20 – Oct 18 |
Want this for all 50 crops, or as a printable seed-shelf schedule? Use the planting calendar and the seed starting scheduler — both can use Elgin's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Elgin
With roughly 204 frost-free days, Elgin gardens fit long-season crops — melons, winter squash, sweet potatoes — with room left for spring and fall rounds of greens and roots. The first frost around Nov 1 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.