Vegetable Planting Chart

Recommended times to plant vegetables in Santa Clara County

Use this chart as a guideline for when to plant your vegetables in Santa Clara County. The dates given to transplant seedlings or plant seed directly into the ground are for best results on average in central Santa Clara County. The best times for your garden may vary depending on factors such as your location in the county and any microclimate conditions. The 'P' months indicate this variability.

Y: Yes, should work
N: No, not recommended
P: Possible, indicates borderline months that might work out if your local conditions and the weather are favorable

Growing transplants from seed

To grow your own transplants from seed, use the times under the column headed "From seed to transplant" to calculate when to sow seeds in pots for the transplants to be ready. For example, to have broccoli seedlings ready to transplant in mid-September, you should start your seeds about 6 weeks earlier, around August 1.

Harvest times

Harvest times are not included in this chart because they may vary widely depending on variety and season. Seed packets and plant tags often give an estimated 'days to maturity' from planting to harvest that you can use as a guideline. Note that crops mature more slowly in the cool fall/winter season than in the warm spring/summer season.

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Vegetable Planting Chart (Y=Yes, N=No, P=Possible)
		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	From seed to transplant

Artichoke	Transplant	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	12 weeks

Arugula	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	P	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	Y	P	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N

Asparagus	Plant crowns	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P

Basil	Transplant	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	6 weeks

Beans	Transplant	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N	N	N	N

Beets	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	6 weeks
	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N

Bok choy	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N

Broccoli	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N	6 weeks

Brussels sprouts	Transplant	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N	N	6 weeks

Cabbage	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N	6 weeks

Cabbage, napa	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N

Carrots	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N

Cauliflower	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	P	Y	P	N	N	6 weeks

Celery	Transplant	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	10–12 weeks

Chard	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N

Chayote	Plant fruit	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N

Vegetable Planting Chart (Y=Yes, N=No, P=Possible)
		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	From seed to transplant

Cilantro	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	P	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	Y	P	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N

Collards	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	6 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N

Corn	Direct seed	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	N	N	N	N

Cucumber	Transplant	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N

Dill	Direct seed	N	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	Y	Y	N	N

Eggplant	Transplant	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	8 weeks

Fava beans	Direct seed	N	Y	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N

Fennel	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	6 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N

Garlic	Plant cloves	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P

Kale	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	P	N

Kohlrabi	Transplant	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	6 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N

Leeks	Transplant	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	8 weeks

Lettuce	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	P	N

Melons	Transplant	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N

Mustard greens	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N

Vegetable Planting Chart (Y=Yes, N=No, P=Possible)
		Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	From seed to transplant

Okra	Transplant	N	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	P	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N

Onions	Transplant	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	8 weeks

Parsley	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	Y	P	P	P	P	P	N	N	9 weeks

Parsnips	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	N	Y	N	N	N

Peas	Transplant	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N

Peppers	Transplant	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	8 weeks

Potatoes	Plant pieces	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	N	N	N	N	N

Pumpkins	Transplant	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N

Radishes	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	Y	P	N	P	Y	Y	P	N

Spinach	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	P	N

Squash, summer	Transplant	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N

Squash, winter	Transplant	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N

Sweet potatoes	Plant slips	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N

Tomatoes	Transplant	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	N	6 weeks

Turnips	Transplant	N	Y	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N	4 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	Y	Y	P	N	N	P	Y	Y	N	N

Zucchini	Transplant	N	N	N	P	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N	3 weeks
	Direct seed	N	N	N	N	Y	Y	Y	N	N	N	N	N