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Printable vegetable garden planner

Three pages to plan and record your garden: a planting log, a month-by-month task sheet, and a seasonal checklist. No sign-up or download needed.

Tip: in your browser's print dialog, choose “Save as PDF” to keep a digital copy.

Fill in dates from your regional planting calendar and the seed-starting calendar.

Planting log

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Garden / location:
Year:
Region:
Avg. last spring freeze:
Avg. first fall freeze:
Soil test date:
Crop & varietySeed or transplantStart indoorsPlant outdoorsExpected harvestNotes

Month-by-month tasks

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January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Seasonal garden checklist

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Before you plant

  • Look up the average last spring and first fall freeze dates for a weather station near you.[1]
  • Work 2–3 inches of compost into beds, then send a soil sample for testing.[2]
  • Check seed packet dates; seed kept dark, dry, and below 85°F often stays viable 3–5 years.[2]
  • Rotate crop families so the same family doesn't grow in the same spot year after year.[2]

Spring

  • Start transplants indoors 6–8 weeks before their outdoor planting date.[3]
  • Check soil temperature as a 3-day average before sowing warm-season seeds.[4]
  • Harden off transplants by taking them outside for longer periods each day.[3]
  • Keep row covers or cloches handy for cold, windy nights after transplanting.[2]
  • Wait until the soil warms before spreading organic mulch.[2]

Summer

  • Water about 1 inch per week, enough to wet the soil 6 inches deep, counting rainfall.[2]
  • Mulch 2–4 inches around established plants to conserve moisture and reduce weeds.[2]
  • Pick cucumbers four to five times a week and okra at least every other day.[2]
  • Sow or transplant cool-season crops in late summer for a fall harvest.[2]

Fall

  • Plant fall seeds 1½–2 times deeper than you would in spring.[2]
  • Dig sweet potatoes before frost, handling them gently to avoid bruises.[2]
  • Remove and destroy tomato plants at the end of the season.[5]
  • Plant garlic cloves in time to establish roots for 4–6 weeks before the ground freezes.[6]

Winter

  • Protect cold-hardy greens with a cold frame or frost cloth to extend the harvest.[2]
  • Write down planting and harvest dates from this year to plan next year's garden.[2]

Numbers in brackets refer to the sources listed after this checklist. Planting dates vary by region, so use a calendar for your area.

Checklist sources

  1. [1]
    Average First and Last Freeze Dates — Table — NC State Extension Gardening and the State Climate Office of North Carolina. Updated October 9, 2026. Checked October 11, 2026.

    Supports: Average first fall and last spring freeze dates for North Carolina weather stations. Scope: Individual North Carolina weather stations; station records end in 2019.

  2. [2]
    Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening — NC State Extension. Published February 1, 2022. Checked October 11, 2026.

    Supports: Cool- and warm-season crop groupings, seed-sowing depth, transplant growing times and temperatures (Table 16-3), soil preparation, succession planting, and harvest indicators. Scope: Written for North Carolina and the southeastern United States.

  3. [3]
    Central North Carolina Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (AG-756-01) — NC State Extension. Published July 8, 2016. Checked October 11, 2026.

    Supports: Outdoor planting dates, planting methods, days to harvest, plant spacing, and the 6–8 week transplant-starting rule for central North Carolina. Scope: Central North Carolina. The publication does not define county boundaries.

  4. [4]
    Spring Soil Temperatures Are Important — N.C. Cooperative Extension, Henderson County Center. March 4, 2021. Checked October 11, 2026.

    Supports: Minimum soil temperatures for seed germination and measuring soil temperature as a 3-day average. Scope: Written for Henderson County (western NC); germination minimums are crop properties.

  5. [5]
    Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden — NC State Extension. Published August 21, 2026. Checked October 11, 2026.

    Supports: Tomato variety types, disease-resistance codes, seed starting, spacing, planting depth, staking, fertilizing, watering, blossom-end rot, and pruning. Scope: North Carolina home gardens.

  6. [6]
    Allium sativum (Garlic) — Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension. Checked October 11, 2026.

    Supports: Garlic site, clove spacing and depth, a late October–November planting suggestion, scape removal, harvest, and curing. Scope: North Carolina.