Hey everyone! I'm excited to join this lovely community. This year has been a bit rough for me health-wise, which has pushed my gardening plans back. I'm in Central VA (zone 7b) and I'm curious about what others have already started indoors for transplanting. If anyone has a planting schedule, I would really appreciate it!
I have four 8'x4' tall raised beds, plus two old wood-framed beds of the same size, and I'm trying to decide what to plant in each. Last year, I had great success with peppers in 3-gallon pots and I'm thinking of using 5-gallon pots this time. I'm also considering potato buckets. Here's what I'm looking to plant this year:
* Onions
* Beets
* Green Beans (need help deciding between climbing or bush)
* Straight-neck Squash
* Cucumbers
* White Corn
* Lettuce
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Carrots
* Peppers (in 5-gallon pots)
* Tomatoes
* Potatoes (in buckets)
* Sweet Potatoes (in buckets)
* Cantaloupe
* Watermelon
* Pumpkins
* Strawberries
Given I have six raised beds, what would you plant in them? Looking forward to your suggestions!
3 Answers
I’m in southwest VA too and I’ve got brassicas, peppers, and onions already going. Honestly, you're right on schedule for planting. I started a bit early this year but I think you’ll be just fine!
Check this out! If you enter your ZIP code, it can give you the best planting and transplant dates for lots of veggies: [https://garden.org/apps/calendar/](https://garden.org/apps/calendar/). Hope it helps!
Hey! You're actually not that late! It's a good time to start with spring crops like cabbage and peppers since they take a bit longer to grow. I’d suggest starting your lettuce soon or just waiting to direct sow it in March. For your tomatoes and sweet potatoes, mid-March is the right time to get those going. As for squash and melons, hold off until early April to avoid frost. You've got plenty of time!
Thank you! I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me this next few days!

Wow, thanks for the link!