4
Your Seed Planting Schedule
Last Frost Date
The last frost date is, on average, the last day in the spring that you might have a frost that can
damage tender plants. It is a useful date to know when starting seeds indoors.
A great resource for specific information for your area is a local master gardener, someone at a
garden supply store or a local cooperative extension agent.
You can also check the internet for Last Frost Dates in your part of the world.
Determining when to plant seeds in your Tray so that they are ready at the right time depends
on a few factors: the last frost date for your area, what you want to plant and how quickly each
seed type germinates and grows into a seedling ready to transplant.
Rate of Growth
You will find that seeds started in the Garden
Starter Tray germinate and grow much faster than
you may have experienced with other seed start-
ing systems. That said, not all plants germinate
and grow at the same rate.
For example, toma-
toes and peppers need
about 6 weeks until the
seedlings are ready for transplanting. In compari-
son, beans and cucumbers grow much quicker
and need only 2 weeks of growth in the Garden
Starter Tray until they are ready to transplant. This
information is sometimes provided on the back
of seed packets, but as with much gardening,
the best guidance is from experience: your
own,
or a trusted expert at a gardening store or local
cooperative extension service. Use this informa-
tion with the last frost date to calculate the earliest
date to start seeds.
When to Transplant
Some plants can withstand frost, others require
frost free days and certain soil temperatures to
thrive. For example, beets, lettuce and some
flower seedlings can all be transplanted several
weeks before the last frost. Summer crops, such as
cucumbers, tomatoes, melons and beans, should
only be transplanted after the last frost date. Your
seed packet is the best source of “when to plant”
information. Keep in mind, you do not need to
seed the entire Tray at one time. Instead, you can
stagger when you seed your Tray. For example,
you can seed some Grow Sponges with spring
crops that can withstand a frost, transplant the
seedlings outside and then seed the remaining
Grow Sponges with summer vegetables or flow-
ers that need warmer outdoor weather to thrive.
Putting It All Together: Creating a Staggered
Planting Schedule
Following are two examples of how to create a
staggered planting schedule. Use the blank Plant-
ing Schedule on page 19 of this Guide to calcu-
late and keep track of your seed starting dates
for each plant type. In each example, a sample
Planting Schedule is provided. A month-to-month
calendar also comes in handy when setting up
your planting schedule.
Example 1: Planting schedule for summer
vegetables to transplant after the last frost
(e.g., non-frost tolerant plants).
Suppose you live in Lansing, Michigan, U.S.A.
and want to grow tomato, pepper and cucumber
seedlings, which are not frost tolerant. The last
frost date for this area is May 7 (date obtained
from internet). Tomato and pepper seeds need
about 6 weeks to grow before hardening off (see
“Hardening Off” on page 14 of this Guide).
Using a calendar to count backwards 6 weeks
from the last frost date (May 7),
gives you a seed
starting date of March 26
for tomatoes and pep-
pers. Cucumbers need only 2 weeks to grow, so
counting backwards 2 weeks from the last frost
date (May 7), gives you a seed starting date of
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