Planting windows for Mercury 3 SSW
Computed from Mercury 3 SSW'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 | Jan 13 – Jan 27 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Dec 30 – Jan 13 | Mar 24 – Mar 31 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Feb 10 – Mar 10 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Jan 27 – Feb 10 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Feb 17 – Mar 10 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Feb 10 – Feb 24 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Feb 10 – Feb 17 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Mar 17 – Mar 24 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Mar 17 – Mar 24 |
| 🌿 Basil | Jan 27 – Feb 10 | Mar 17 – Mar 24 | Mar 24 – Mar 31 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Oct 8 – Nov 5 |
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 Mercury 3 SSW's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Mercury 3 SSW
With roughly 254 frost-free days, Mercury 3 SSW 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 19 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.