Garden Planner
Plan your vegetable bed
Build your garden bed
Choose your first vegetable
Browse all vegetables
Spring dates are estimates. Check the forecast, soil warmth and spacing for your variety.
What can I plant in this bed next year?
Add a crop to see next-year options.
Garden Planner FAQ
How do I start my garden plan?
Choose a vegetable and click Plant in plot 1. The planner fills that plot and takes you to the next available plot with suggestions.
Can I start in any of the four plots?
Yes. Click the plot you want to use, choose a vegetable and plant it there. Plot 1 is selected when you first open the planner.
Which plots count as neighbors?
Two plots are neighbors when they share an edge. Plot 1 borders plots 2 and 3. Plot 4 borders plots 2 and 3 as well.
How does the planner choose what to plant beside a crop?
It looks for pairings in its guide for each planted neighbor. When a plot touches two planted crops, a suggestion must have a listed pairing with both.
What if a plot has no suggestions?
Check whether a neighboring plot already has a crop. If it does, the guide may have no listed match for all of its neighbors. You can still choose a vegetable from the full list.
More questions
Can I move, change or remove a vegetable?
Click a planted plot to replace or remove its crop. To move it, remove it from the original plot and plant it again in the new one.
Do I have to fill all four plots?
Use as many plots as you need. You can leave space empty while you compare options or plan only part of a bed.
Which vegetables are included?
The planner includes tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, pole beans, lettuce, carrots, radishes, broccoli, green onions, sweet corn and winter squash.
How much space does each plot represent?
Each plot is one quarter of the diagram. Use your actual bed dimensions and the spacing on your seed packet or plant label to decide how many plants fit.
What date should I enter for the last spring frost?
Enter the average last spring frost date for your area. A local extension office or weather service can help you find it. Check the forecast again before planting.
Can I use the planner without knowing my frost date?
Yes. Clear the example date and the planner shows timing in relation to the last spring frost, such as two to four weeks before it.
What is the difference between direct sowing and transplanting?
Direct sowing means putting seeds into the garden soil. Transplanting means moving an established seedling into the bed. Both labels refer to work outdoors.
Does the planner show when to start seeds indoors?
The dates cover spring planting outdoors. For crops marked Transplant, count back using the indoor starting guidance for your variety or plan to buy seedlings.
What if the soil is cold when the planting window opens?
Check soil warmth and the forecast before planting. Warm-season crops such as beans and squash may need to wait if a cold spring keeps the bed cool.
What can I grow beside tomatoes?
The guide suggests lettuce, radishes and green onions. These faster crops can use space near caged tomatoes while the tomato plants are still small.
Can carrots and radishes share a bed?
Yes. You can sow them in neighboring rows. The radishes mature first, leaving more room for the carrots as they grow.
Can I plant lettuce before peppers go into the bed?
Yes. Grow lettuce early and transplant peppers as the lettuce nears harvest. Pick the lettuce before the peppers fill the available space.
Why are peppers and potatoes missing from next year's list after tomatoes?
Tomatoes, peppers and potatoes belong to the same plant family. The planner leaves that family out of the next-year options for the whole bed.
Does planting beside a crop count as crop rotation?
Planting alongside describes which crops share space in one season. Crop rotation tracks which plant families use the bed from year to year.
Will my garden plan still be there after I refresh the page?
Your plan is saved in the same browser. Download a PDF if you want a copy you can keep or share.
Growing references. Purdue Extension planting calendar, Illinois Extension planting techniques, University of Minnesota Extension crop rotation.