Horticulture Planting Calendar
What to Plant By Month
This list of what to plant when is intended for use by County Agents and Master Gardeners in Texas Agricultural Extension Districts 3, 4, 7, and 8. Since those districts cover north central and much of central Texas, there is quite a bit of variability within the area. Therefore, take that into consideration and modify this list by as much as 1-2 weeks, depending on your location.
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 help past their dormant season, the root balls should be protected from drying and watered frequently.
| Month | Vegetables | Flowers | Other plants |
| Jan | asparagus crown, onion plants, turnips, radishes, collards, kale-southern areas, | pansies, dianthus, snapdragons | bare-root trees (usually these are fruit and nut trees); |
| Feb. | 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): |
Horticulture HomeCenter Home