Guide to Hardiness Zone Eight Gardening

It's time to start planning, and start planting! Hopefully by now you've decided where to place your garden, and you have your seeds in hand. Maybe you're standing outside in the cool weather, bouncing on your toes, impatient to get started. You may have seeds already nesting in your windowsill. They may still be in the packets. And if this is your first garden, you may feel a bit overwhelmed. But don't panic. Go online and find your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. This mean finding out which crops and plants will grow best in your location, and finding out the best time to seed and transfer these plants.

For those in zone eight, the time is now. Zone eight is typically a moist climate with longer warm periods, and includes the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and also parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. It even includes areas of California, Alaska, Utah, Nevada, Washington, and Oregon, so be sure to enter your zip code, not state, when checking your zone.

If you are planning on producing hearty vegetables such as tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, summer squash, spinach, celery or lettuce, you should be seeding right now. Find a bright, warm (but not too warm) location indoors with plenty of bright light. Feel free to purchase a shop light to hang over the seedlings. These should be ready to plant outdoors around June, with a harvest expected in the late summer. Times will vary with each vegetable, so take that into consideration. For instance, lettuce will harvest sooner. At this stage you may can give onions a try. These grow best from January to April, but if you are growing indoors or in a container garden, you may be able to eek some out.

You can plan on starting sweet potatoes, winter squash, regular potatoes, cucumbers, melons, corn and beans during the middle of the summer months. Plan on seeding around April for an August harvest.

Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, peas, beets, carrots, broccoli, kale, and lettuce should be seeding by late July to early August. This produce will be ready by the end of the year, late November into early December. Again, it depends on the variety, so keep a close eye on the plant. And considering the location, keep a close eye on the weather as well. Unexpected frigid nights will couple with mild days. The "freeze free" date for zone eight is typically March 15th through November 15th.

What about flowers and plants? Try Foxglove, Scarlet Sage, Snapdragons, Honeysuckle, Coral Bells, Azaleas, Camellias, and palms. If you are trying a flower garden for the first time, select easy varieties such as the Black Eyed Susan, Peonies, Irises, and Lilies. These may be purchased and planted throughout the season.

For more tips and listings, check these sites:
www.usna.usda.gov
www.veggieharvest.com
www.gardeningtips.us