Some may consider a farmer’s almanac calendar the only vegetable planting calendar they need, but they might be wrong. Farmers have used almanacs for hundreds of years to chart moon and zodiac occurrences to help them have a better chance for a good crop. Just as following the planting zone for an area, following an almanac calendar is a good place to start, not the absolute gospel.
The idea of making a plan and sticking to it is dependent on the individual gardener and what they are willing to do to ensure a good crop with high yield. For instance, a gardener in a temperate zone may be content to wait until after the frost threat is over, plant all of the crops at the same time, and be satisfied with whatever the yield of one harvest of each vegetable produces. Many people have enough success with this method and do not believe they need any planning assistance.
However, the gardener who has passed the hobbyist stage, has researched the growing season for the area by zone, has researched the best plants for that zone, and has researched what plants can be jumpstarted indoors to stretch the growing season, will generally have better crops with higher yields. A larger variety of vegetables and complimentary plants will be available if the gardener is willing to go the extra mile and prepare seedlings and seed beds prior to actual spring planting time.
Charting with a calendar helps the gardener to plan rotation for following years. Many vegetables will play themselves out if planted in the same space every year. Rotating vegetables to different rows or grids in the garden will help keep the nutrients more evenly distributed and help plants to be healthier.
Knowing the difference between cool season crops such as beets, lettuce, carrots, and spinach and warm weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, okra, and beans helps to have a longer harvest time and better yield. If all the plants are planted at the same time the cool weather plants may suffer if it gets warm too soon and vice versa. Knowing the difference between fast growing, slow growing, vining, or bush type plants will also help to keep the garden neater and healthier.
By using a vegetable planting calendar from year to year, the gardener will be able to predict trends in their specific location for the plants of their choice to make each year’s harvest more productive.
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