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🌱 Oh She Grows 365 · Free Resources

Your Garden Reference Library

Everything you need to grow with confidence — season guides, planting timelines, and beginner tips all in one place.

Plant & Season Guide

Browse all 60+ plants by season or search alphabetically — your complete reference for knowing what grows when.

🌿 Free Resource

Plant & Season Guide

Discover the ideal growing season for every plant — from tomatoes and basil to kale, okra, and everything in between. Browse by Cold, Cool, Warm, or Hot season, or search any plant by name.

60+ plants Search by name Filter by season A–Z view
🌿 Open the Guide ↗

The Four Growing Seasons

Understanding which season you're in is the foundation of successful gardening. Here's what each season means for your garden.

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Cold Season
Below 34°F

Little to no outdoor growing. This is your planning, resting, and soil-prep season. Use this time wisely!

Best for:
Planning Seed ordering Bed prep
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Cool Season
35–65°F

Mild temps are perfect for leafy greens, root veggies, and most herbs. Many crops tolerate a light frost.

Grow now:
Lettuce Spinach Broccoli Carrots Peas
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Warm Season
65–85°F

Prime time for most vegetables and fruits. Frost risk is gone and soil is warm enough for heat-loving crops.

Grow now:
Tomatoes Cucumbers Peppers Beans Squash
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Hot Season
Above 85°F

Intense heat challenges most plants, but a select few thrive when temps soar. These crops are built for the heat.

Grow now:
Okra Sweet Potato Corn Lemongrass

When to Plant What

Every planting date in your garden revolves around two key dates — your last spring frost and your first fall frost. Here's how to use them.

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Your last spring frost date is the most important date in your garden calendar. Almost every planting window is calculated from it. Not sure of yours? Your Garden Profile tool looks it up automatically using your zip code.

🌤️ Cool Season — Round 1 ~45 days BEFORE last frost
Formula: Last Spring Frost Date − 45 days
Start planting: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Peas, Carrots, Beets, Radishes, Cilantro, Parsley, Dill
😊 Warm Season ON or just AFTER last frost
Formula: Last Spring Frost Date (or +1–2 weeks to be safe)
Start planting: Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers, Squash, Zucchini, Beans, Melons, Basil, Sunflowers, Zinnias
🔥 Hot Season 4–6 weeks AFTER last frost
Formula: Last Spring Frost Date + 4–6 weeks
Start planting: Okra, Sweet Potato, Corn, Lemongrass, Eggplant, Hot Peppers
🌤️ Cool Season — Round 2 (Fall) ~60 days BEFORE first fall frost
Formula: First Fall Frost Date − 60 days
Start planting: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Beets, Radishes — your cool season crops get a second round in fall!
❄️ Don't know your frost dates? That's exactly what the Personal Garden Profile tool calculates for you — automatically, using just your zip code. It also builds your complete monthly season calendar so you always know what growing season you're in.

Tips for First-Time Gardeners

Every great gardener started exactly where you are. These fundamentals will save you time, money, and frustration from day one.

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Know Your Sun Direction First

Before you buy a single seed, step outside and check which direction your garden faces using your phone's compass. North-facing spaces get the least sun; south-facing get the most. This one fact shapes everything else.

💡 Full sun = 6+ hours · Part sun = 3–6 hours · Shade = under 3 hours
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Start Small — Really Small

A 4×4 ft raised bed or just 3–4 containers is the perfect first garden. You'll learn more from one small, well-tended space than from a large overwhelming one. You can always expand next season!

💡 Master one small space before going bigger
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Respect the Seasons

The most common beginner mistake is planting warm-season crops too early, or cool-season crops too late. Each plant has a temperature sweet spot — plant in the wrong season and it will struggle no matter how well you care for it.

💡 Right plant + right season = easy growing
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Water Consistently, Not Heavily

Most plants prefer consistent, moderate watering over occasional heavy drenching. Check soil moisture by pressing your finger 1–2 inches into the soil. If it's dry, water. If it's damp, wait. Overwatering kills more plants than underwatering.

💡 Water the roots, not the leaves
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Feed Your Soil, Not Just Your Plants

Healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy garden. Add compost at the start of each season to give your plants the nutrients they need. You don't need expensive fertilizers — good compost goes a long way.

💡 Great soil = less work overall
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Keep a Simple Garden Journal

Write down what you planted, when you planted it, and what happened. Even a few notes per week will teach you more about your specific garden than any book or video. Your observations are your most valuable gardening tool.

💡 What worked last season = your best guide for next season

Ready for a Plan Built Just for You?

These resources give you the foundation — your Personal Garden Profile takes it further with a custom plan built around your exact zip code, sun direction, frost dates, and the plants you love.

🌻 Get My Garden Profile — $27
One-time purchase · Instant access · No subscription