Seasonal Planting Calendar

Know Exactly What to Plant
Every Month of the Year

Seasonal planting calendars for Temperate, Arid, Subtropical, and Cold climates — covering what to plant, what to harvest, and what to build each season. Get your personalised calendar inside TerraForge.

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🌲 Temperate Planting Calendar

Winter (Dec–Feb)
🌱 Plant Now
Garlic (early)
Broad beans
Overwintering onions
🧺 Harvest
Leeks
Parsnips
Winter greens
Brussels sprouts
🔨 Build & Maintain
Plan rotations, order seeds, prune dormant fruit trees, build new beds
Spring (Mar–May)
🌱 Plant Now
Tomatoes (indoors)
Peppers
Cucumbers
Lettuce
Peas
Potatoes
🧺 Harvest
Asparagus
Rhubarb
Spring greens
Radishes
🔨 Build & Maintain
Prepare beds, install rain tanks before rains, plant bare-root fruit trees
Summer (Jun–Aug)
🌱 Plant Now
Beans (direct sow)
Corn
Squash
Late brassicas
🧺 Harvest
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Courgettes
Beans
Berries
Garlic
🔨 Build & Maintain
Mulch all beds deeply, set up drip irrigation, harvest and dry herbs
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
🌱 Plant Now
Garlic
Winter salads
Cover crops
Spring bulbs
🧺 Harvest
Squash
Root vegetables
Apples
Pears
Late tomatoes
🔨 Build & Maintain
Plant food forest trees, build compost, install earthworks before winter rains

🌵 Arid Planting Calendar

Winter (Dec–Feb)
🌱 Plant Now
Tomatoes
Peppers
Brassicas
Root veg
Citrus
🧺 Harvest
Citrus
Root vegetables
Winter greens
Herbs
🔨 Build & Maintain
Main infrastructure season — earthworks, swales, water systems in mild weather
Spring (Mar–May)
🌱 Plant Now
Heat-tolerant crops early
Melons
Sweet potato
🧺 Harvest
Spring brassicas
Root crops
Citrus finish
🔨 Build & Maintain
Install shade cloth, plant windbreaks, mulch to 6 inches before heat arrives
Summer (Jun–Aug)
🌱 Plant Now
Drought-hardy varieties only
Okra
Amaranth
🧺 Harvest
Melons
Peppers
Figs
Summer fruits
🔨 Build & Maintain
Water only at dawn and dusk, maintain mulch depth, monitor tank levels
Autumn (Sep–Nov)
🌱 Plant Now
Brassicas
Root veg
Leafy greens
Legumes
🧺 Harvest
Pomegranate
Late peppers
Winter squash
🔨 Build & Maintain
Second major planting season — soil building, earthworks, tree planting

🌴 Subtropical Planting Calendar

Cool Dry (May–Aug)
🌱 Plant Now
Most vegetables thrive
Brassicas
Root veg
Salads
🧺 Harvest
Avocado
Citrus
Pineapple
Leafy greens
🔨 Build & Maintain
Best building season — establish new perennials, sheet mulch, build ponds
Build-Up (Sep–Nov)
🌱 Plant Now
Fast-maturing crops
Sweet corn
Beans
🧺 Harvest
Dry season crops finishing
Pawpaw
Bananas
🔨 Build & Maintain
Prepare for wet — clear drains, stake tall plants, harvest and store seeds
Wet Season (Dec–Mar)
🌱 Plant Now
Taro
Ginger
Turmeric
Water-loving crops
🧺 Harvest
Mango
Lychee
Bananas
Pawpaw
Tropical fruits
🔨 Build & Maintain
Establish food forest trees in wet, control erosion, mulch paths heavily
Dry Season (Apr)
🌱 Plant Now
Tomatoes
Peppers
Eggplant
Cucumbers
🧺 Harvest
Root crops
Leafy greens
Citrus
🔨 Build & Maintain
Irrigation systems, prune fruit trees after harvest, soil building

❄️ Cold Planting Calendar

Winter (Nov–Mar)
🌱 Plant Now
Start seeds indoors (late Feb)
Overwintering garlic
🧺 Harvest
Stored root veg
Forage greens under snow
Kale after frost
🔨 Build & Maintain
Plan and order seeds, repair tools, insulate compost, prune dormant trees
Spring (Apr–May)
🌱 Plant Now
Cold-hardy starts under cover
Peas
Spinach
Radishes
🧺 Harvest
Rhubarb
Asparagus (year 3+)
Overwintered greens
🔨 Build & Maintain
Prepare beds as soon as workable, plant bare-root stock, cold frames
Summer (Jun–Aug)
🌱 Plant Now
Everything — short season focus
Beans
Corn
Squash
Tomatoes outdoors
🧺 Harvest
Berries
Peas
Salads
Herbs
Early root veg
🔨 Build & Maintain
Intensive season — plant, maintain, harvest. Preserve everything possible.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
🌱 Plant Now
Garlic before ground freezes
Cover crops
🧺 Harvest
Apples
Root veg
Squash
All tender crops before frost
🔨 Build & Maintain
Heavy mulch perennials, store root crops, plant garlic, build root cellar

Planting Calendar FAQs

Why do planting calendars vary so much between zones?

Frost dates, rainfall patterns, day length, and temperature ranges differ dramatically between climate zones. A tomato planted outdoors in March thrives in subtropical Queensland but would be killed by frost in Canada. Effective planting calendars are always zone-specific — generic calendars are often misleading.

How do I know which climate zone I'm in?

TerraForge uses five zones: Temperate (four seasons, mild winters — UK, Pacific Northwest, New Zealand), Arid (hot dry summers, mild winters — SW USA, Mediterranean, outback Australia), Subtropical (wet/dry seasons, frost-rare — SE USA, coastal Queensland), Tropical (year-round heat and high rainfall — Hawaii, Far North Queensland, SE Asia), and Cold (short growing season, hard winters — Canada, Scandinavia, highland regions).

When should I start seeds indoors vs. direct sow?

Slow-growing crops that need a long season — tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, celery — should be started indoors 6–10 weeks before the last frost date. Fast-growing crops with sensitive roots — beans, corn, carrots, beetroot — are best direct-sown after the last frost. TerraForge's calendar specifies the method for each crop in your zone.

What is the most important thing to plant first on a homestead?

Perennials first, always. Fruit trees, food forest trees, and berry bushes should go in as early as possible because they take the longest to produce. Every year you delay planting a fruit tree is a year of lost harvest in year 5, 6, and 7. Annual vegetables can be planted any season — but that apple tree needs to go in now.

Related Tools

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