Editorial policy

How we choose sources, build planting calendars, review our guides, and correct mistakes.

Sources we rely on

Every factual gardening recommendation on GardenSproutly cites a source. We prefer, in order:

University Cooperative Extension publications written for the region in question.
State climate offices and federal agencies such as the USDA.
County Extension center articles written by Extension agents for their local area.

We don't use other gardening websites, seed-company marketing, or unsourced articles as sources. Each source entry lists its publisher, its own publication date when given, the date we last checked it, what it supports, and any geographic limits.

How we build planting calendars

Regional calendars reproduce the planting dates and methods in the source Extension calendar. We don't shift, interpolate, or invent dates.
Source charts mark the 1st and 15th of each month, so we report the first and last marked dates of each window rather than implying more precision than the source gives.
Some values are worked out from the source: indoor seed-starting dates (6–8 weeks before a transplant date, as the calendars advise) and harvest estimates (planting dates plus the source's days to harvest). We label these and explain the method wherever they appear, and we don't show harvest estimates for slow-maturing crops.
When reputable sources disagree, for example on garlic planting time or plant spacing, we show both and say so.
We never fill in a missing region or crop with another region's data. If we don't have reliable dates, we say so.

Writing and review

Guides are written in our own words, not copied from sources. Drafts may be prepared with the help of software tools, including AI writing assistants, but every recommendation is checked against its cited source before publication. We don't publish fabricated quotes, reviews, credentials, or statistics.

The “last reviewed” date on a page is the date we last checked its content against the sources listed there. We re-check regional calendars when publishers revise them.

Expanding to new regions

We add a state, region, or country only after researching sources written for its climate and growing conditions. See what we cover today on the United States page.

Corrections

If you find an error, email [email protected] with the page address and, ideally, a source. We check reported errors against the original source, fix confirmed mistakes promptly, and update the page's review date.

Independence

GardenSproutly has no sponsors and does not accept payment to include or recommend products. The site does not currently show advertising. If that changes, ads will be clearly labeled and kept separate from our guidance.