Zones

Zone 8a planting guide

Two seasons if you treat July as a pause. Atlanta and the Piedmont.

Last spring frost

Mar 15

First fall frost

Nov 15

Winter low

10 to 15°F

• Plant garlicDirect sowThis week

  Point up, 2 inches deep, 6 inches apart, mulch. This is the crop that works while you rest.

  Music

Crops for this zone

• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Lettuce
• Basil
• Zucchini
• Beans
• Kale
• Spinach
• Radish
• Carrots
• Peas
• Cilantro
• Cucumber
• Sunflower
• Zinnia
• Garlic
• Arugula
• Broccoli
• Swiss chard
• Beets
• Parsley
• Dill
• Marigold
• Winter squash
• Onions
• Potatoes

Cities in Zone 8a

• Atlanta, GA
• Charlotte, NC
• Raleigh, NC
• Memphis, TN

Year at a glance

1. January

   Start peppers indoors. Order the last of the seed. Do not sow outdoors.

2. February

   Start tomatoes indoors. Cool crops can be sown under cover or in a cold frame.

3. March

   Typical last-frost month. Harden off. Direct-sow radish, lettuce, peas if you have not.

4. April

   Warm soil. Beans, squash, basil, zinnias, cucumbers. Transplant tomatoes.

5. May

   Tend and harvest. A second sowing of beans if the math works. Plan the fall bed.

6. June

   Tend and harvest. A second sowing of beans if the math works. Plan the fall bed.

7. July

   Tend and harvest. A second sowing of beans if the math works. Plan the fall bed.

8. August

   Tend and harvest. A second sowing of beans if the math works. Plan the fall bed.

9. September

   Fall greens in now if you have not. Count days. Skip new long-season fruit.

10. October

    Last radish and spinach. Prep garlic ground. Harvest the tender things.

11. November · now

    Typical first-frost month. Plant garlic. Mulch. Take notes while you remember the year.

12. December

    Rest. Inventory leftover seed. Do not buy 40 tomato varieties.

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