My Personal Seed Starting Guide

I've been inspired by Daphne's seed planting schedule to come up with a schedule for my own garden. The greatest challenge is that my climate allows for year round vegetable growing and therefore year round opportunities for seed starting. So, rather than making a schedule just for this year's seed sowing, I've decided to tackle many of the possibilities for an entire year, any year. I've often missed the correct time for starting seeds for vegetables that are new for me or that I don't grow often, especially when I purchase seeds that can't be started until a few months later, such as the celery root that I'm going to try this year. So, this has turned out to be more of a guide for what can/needs to be started when.

I've started with the seeds that I've purchased for this year and seeds that I already have that I intend to grow this year. A number of commonly grown vegetables are left out of my guide because I have no intention of growing them this year. This is my own personal guide, not an authoritative guide for everyone in a similar climate. Should I decide to grow something new I plan (best intentions, really) to update my guide. And if I'm really with it I hope to update it with information based on my own experience in the garden. I also hope to start keeping track of the actual sowing and planting out dates for each vegetable in a separate post.

Much of the information presented below is based on my favorite gardening book for my region, Golden Gate Gardening by Pam Pierce. This book is an invaluable guide for anyone who wants to grow vegetables in the San Francisco Bay Area and along the California Coast. The book includes a table of Planting Times For Sunnier Microclimates that I've been consulting for years. I believe I owe much of my gardening success to growing mostly by that schedule rather than by seed packet information which often does not apply to my climate.

Should anyone who gardens in a similar climate have any observations, pointers, helpful hints, whatever, your comments are most welcome.

All seeds are to be direct sowed in the garden or into pots or cells kept outside unless indicated otherwise.

Key to seed starting guide:
? indicates seeding or planting at this time may be possible
---but not always
?? really pushing the limits but occasionally possible
(in) start seed indoors
(plant out) plant seedlings out in garden
(mid) indicates seed can be started thru mid month
(late) indicates seed can be started after mid month
(experimenting) I'm pushing all the indicated limits or
---am just completely in the dark!


By Month

January:
Arugula (experimenting)
Beet (experimenting)
Broccoli (in)
Carrot
Chard?
Chile/Pepper? (in)
Cornsalad/mache (experimenting)
Garlic (for green garlic)
Kale
Lettuce
Orach (experimenting)
Potato (late)
Radish?
Senposai (experimenting)
Spinach
Sugar Snap Peas (experimenting)
Tomato? (in)

February:
Beets
Broccoli (in)
Broccoli (mid) (plant out)
Carrot
Celery Root?
Chard? (mid)
Chard (late)
Chile/Pepper (in)
Cornsalad/mache
Florence Fennel
Garlic?
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Potato
Radish
Spinach
Summer Squash?
Tomato (in)

March:
Basil (in)
Beans, Bush? (late)
Beets
Broccoli
Carrot
Celery Root?
Chard
Chile/Pepper (in)
Cucumber? (mid)
Eggplant
Kale
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Potato
Radish
Runner Beans? (late)
Spinach
Summer Squash
Tomatillo (in)
Tomato (in)

April:
Amaranth Greens?
Basil (in)
Beans, Bush
Beans, Pole? late
Beets
Broccoli?
Carrot
Celery Root
Chard
Chile/Pepper? (plant out)
Cucumber (late)
Eggplant
Kale
Kohlrabi?
Lettuce
Potato
Melon (late)
Radish
Runner Beans (mid)
Spinach?
Summer Squash
Tomatillo (in)
Tomato (in)
Winter Squash

May:
Amaranth Greens
Basil
Beans, Bush
Beans, Pole
Beets
Broccoli?
Carrot
Celery Root
Chard?
Chile/Pepper (plant out)
Cucumber
Cumin (experimenting)
Eggplant (plant out)
Kale
Kohlrabi?
Lettuce
Melon
Potato
Romanesco Broccoli
Runner Beans
Soybean
Summer Squash
Tomatillo (direct seed out and plant out)
Tomato (plant out)
Winter Squash

June:
Amaranth Greens
Beans, Bush
Beans, Pole
Beets
Broccoli
Broccoli? (plant out)
Carrot
Celery Root
Chard?
Chile/Pepper (plant out)
Cucumber
Kale
Kohlrabi?
Lettuce
Portuguese Cabbage
Potato
Romanesco Broccoli (mid)
Romanesco Broccoli (late) (plant out)
Runner Beans? (mid)
Soybean
Summer Squash
Tomato?
Winter Squash

July:
Amaranth Greens
Beans, Bush
Beans, Pole (mid)
Beets
Broccoli
Broccoli (plant out)
Carrot
Celery Root?
Chard?
Cucumber?
Kale
Kohlrabi?
Lettuce
Portuguese Cabbage
Potato
Romanesco Broccoli (plant out)
Summer Squash
Winter Squash

August:
Amaranth Greens
Beets
Broccoli (plant out)
Carrot
Celery Root?
Chard?
Cornsalad/mache
Kale?
Kohlrabi
Lettuce
Portuguese Cabbage?
Potato
Spinach (late)
Summer Squash?

September:
Beets?
Broccoli? (plant out)
Carrot (mid)
Chard?
Cornsalad/mache?
Kohlrabi
Lettuce?
Potato?
Spinach

October:
Carrot?
Chard?
Cornsalad/mache?
Garlic (mid)
Kohlrabi??
Lettuce?
Potato?
Spinach

November:
Carrot? (mid)
Carrot?? (late)
Chard?
Garlic
Lettuce?
Potato?
Spinach

December:
Broccoli (late) (in)
Chard?
Garlic?
Lettuce
Potato?
Spinach


By Vegetable

Amaranth Greens: Apr?, May thru Jul, Aug?
Arugula: a work in progress, trying mid fall thru early spring
Basil: Mar thru May
Beans, Bush: late Mar? Apr thru Jul
Beans, Pole: late Apr?, May thru mid Jul
Beet: Feb thru Aug, Sept?
Broccoli: late Dec thru July
Carrot: Jan thru mid Sep, late Sep thru mid Nov? late Nov??
Celery Root: Feb thru Mar?, Apr thru June, Jul thru Aug?
Chard: Jan thru mid Feb?, late Feb thru Apr, May thru Dec?
Chiles: Jan?, Feb thru Mar
Cornsalad: Aug, Sep thru Oct?*, Feb
Cucumber: late Mar thru mid Apr?, late Apr thru mid Jun, late Jun thru mid Jul?
Cumin: totally new for me, going to try May
Eggplant: Apr thru May
Fava Beans: Jan?, Feb thru Mar, Sep thru Nov, Dec?
Florence Fennel (bulbing): Feb**
Garlic: Jan thru Feb?, late Oct thru Nov, Dec?
Kale: Jan thru Jul, Aug?
Kohlrabi: Feb thru Mar, Apr thru mid Jul?, late Jul thru mid Sep, late Sep?, Oct??
Lettuce: Jan thru Aug, Sep thru Nov?, Dec
Melon: late Apr thru May
Peas: Feb thru Mar, Aug thru mid Nov, late Nov??
Portuguese Cabbage: ***Jun thru Jul, Aug?
Potatoes: late Jan thru Aug (have heard year round w/ frost protection)
Rapini (Broccoli Rabe): Sep? Oct thru.. Mar****
Radish: Jan?, Feb thru Apr, May thru July?, Aug thru mid Oct, late Oct thru Dec?
Romanesco Broccoli: May thru mid June
Runner Beans: late Mar thru mid Apr?, late Apr thru May, thru mid Jun?
Spinach: Jan thru Mar, Apr?, late Aug thru Dec
Soybean: May thru June
Summer Squash: Feb?, Mar thru Jul, Aug?
Tomatillo: Mar thru May
Tomato: Jan?, Feb thru Apr
Winter Squash: Apr thru Jul


*A guess on my part, it tends to volunteer at this time
**Probably more dates will work but I haven't figured that out yet.
***Totally experimental since I have very little information. I've been starting seed in summer for fall and winter harvests.
****Another guess, it needs to be sown to mature in cool weather, grows quickly