Long Island Almanac - A Guide to Local Gardening

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Have a green thumb, or just looking to get outside and grow a garden to put some more greens on your plate? Gardening is a healthy hobby that is well-loved on Long Island, and thanks to Long Island's mild climate, allows for many different species of flora to thrive in home gardens. The sandy soil restricts some kinds of plants from thriving, but if you are careful to provide topsoil and keep the area moist, you will have a better shot of keeping plants that do not normally grow in the area. 

The following is a sample of hearty vegetables that thrive on Long Island. Use the following key to see when to start your seeds indoors, when to start them outdoors or to plant directly into the garden, and when to harvest the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor.

I: Indoors - sow your seeds inside at this time.
O: Outdoors - plant seeds or small plants outside.
H: Harvest
/: Designates halfway point in the month
I/O: Indoors/outdoors - start your plants indoors at the beginning of the month, and move them outside halfway through the month.
 

Plant

Jan.

Feb.

Mar.

Apr.

May.

Jun.

Jul.

Aug.

Sept.

Oct.

Nov.

Dec.

Basil

/I

I/O

O

H

H

H

H

Beans

/I

/O

O/H

H

H

H

H

Broccoli

I

O

O/H

H

H

H

H

Cucumbers

/I

O

O/

H

H

H

H

Peas

I

O

O/H

H

H

H

H

H

Peppers

I

I

O

O

H

H

H

H

Pumpkins

I/O

O

H

H

H

Spinach

/O

O

O

O

H

H

H

H

H

Tomatoes

I

I

O

O

H

H

H

H

Zucchini

/I

O

O

H

H

H

H

[Source: Farmer's Almanac]