The Time for Planting 



155 



radish - early 



beans -bush. 



peas 



lettuce. 



beets 



cucumber 



sweet com 



bush squash, 



onion from, sets 



car rocs 



lima beans 



tomatoes 



melons 



pepper 



ey^ plant 



vine -squash 



onion (dry) from seed 



sweet potato 



parsnip and 'salsify 



Days:0 30 60 90 120 150 180 



FIG. 86. Chart showing growing period of some common garden crops. The 

 solid line shows the shortest period in which early varieties of the crop can be 

 grown. The dotted line shows the additional time required to bring later varie- 

 ties into condition for use. 



It is usually safe to begin planting the crops that stand 

 cool weather as soon as the soil is in condition to be 

 worked. In many parts of the southern states planting may 

 begin in January or February ; in the more northern states 

 the same crops cannot be planted until April or later. 



The growing season. The actual growing season of 

 most vegetables extends from the date of the last killing 

 frost in the spring to the first killing frost in the autumn. 

 In the extreme southern part of the mainland of Florida 

 only half the winters bring killing frosts. As far north 

 as Tallahassee, Florida, and Austin, Texas, and also in a 

 narrow strip along the coast of California as far north as 

 San Francisco, the length of the growing season is 9 

 months or longer. In the extreme northern part of the 



