Will you be growing a cool vegetable garden this spring? Before your visit to the garden center let’s create a little plan.
If yes, grab a pen and jot this down. These cool-season crops are planted directly in the garden — whether from seed or transplants depends on the crop. I break that down in my Seed vs. Transplant Guide that you can download below.
You don’t need to grow all of these — this is just a planning menu.
Date of Last Frost: ___________
Consider these cool-season vegetables:
8–10 weeks before last frost
Spinach • Kale • Collards • Onions
6–8 weeks before last frost
Carrots • Beets • Chard • Radishes
4–6 weeks before last frost
Lettuce • Peas • Broccoli • Cabbage
2–4 weeks before last frost
Potatoes • Bok choy
Around last frost
Final lettuce + spinach plantings
Cool-season herbs to plan for now — plant 2–4 weeks before your last frost:
Cilantro • Chervil • Chives • Dill • Parsley
Cool-season flowers to plan for now — plant about 6 weeks before your last frost:
Snapdragons • Pansies • Calendula • Violas • Poppies • Sweet peas
Now choose:
✔ 3 cool-season vegetables
✔ 2 herbs
✔ 2 flowers
For each one, write down when it can be planted (based on your frost date) and put it on a calendar.
That’s it — no planting yet, just planning.
Download Your Seed vs Transplant Cheat sheet here
If this planning exercise made you realize you’d like more guidance — especially around timing, planting, and what to do next — the No-Fuss Garden Course was created for you.
Inside the course, I walk you through:
how to plan your garden using frost dates
what to plant (and what to skip) as the season unfolds
simple systems for raised beds and small spaces
how to avoid common beginner mistakes without overcomplicating things
You’ll also get quarterly live coaching sessions where you can:
bring your questions
talk through your garden as the season changes
get clarity when you feel stuck or unsure
It’s support when you need it — not another thing to keep up with.
👉 Take a look at the No-Fuss Garden Course
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