Our homestead sits in Freeland, Washington on the southern end of Whidbey Island. We are on the edge of the Olympic Mountain Rain Shadow, which equates to us receiving a lot less rain yearly than just 10 miles away, although we receive on an average about 120 days of recordable precipitation. We can be driving home in the rain, and 5 miles from home it is dry. This of course can mess with some things, but overall we are solid 8b grow zone, which nearly all of Whidbey Island and Island County is. That is due to the close proximity of the open water, of the Salish Sea. This leaves us with a grow period of 200 to 250 days (which of course is dependent on where your garden sits – if in a hollow, or higher up, surrounded by trees, you will have less days). We tend to have dry summers, in the low 70’s most of the time. In winter our days are often in the mid to upper 40’s, even in January. Our last frost date is around mid-April, but can be to the end of April (if in a hollow/shaded area). My transplanting weekend for tomatoes is always Mother’s Day weekend, which is a week or so into May normally.
Altitude, shade, being in a tight valley or hollow, all these can affect your actual growing zone. These are things in your grow zone you should find out, and chart. It’ll help you quite a bit in when to plant.
What we are doing is using the last frost date as our guide, and backing up to figure out when to seed, be it inside, outdoors direct, or when to transplant your seedling you started inside.
So for Zone 8b, if the last frost date is April 15th, the dates going back:
- 1 week: April 8th
- 2 weeks: April 1st
- 3 weeks: March 25th
- 4 weeks: March 18th
- 5 weeks: March 11th
- 6 weeks: March 4th
- 7 weeks: February 25th
- 8 weeks: February 18th
- 9 weeks: February 11th
- 10 weeks: February 4th
- 11 weeks: January 28th
- 12 weeks: January 21st
You can easily change these dates to reflect your growing zone, just go back by weeks.
Seed Chart
Beans
- Bush: 52-59 days, seed direct after last frost, start inside 2 weeks before last frost. Plant every 2 weeks for continuous crops.
- Pole: 63-69 days, seed direct after last frost, start inside 2 weeks before last frost.
Beets
- 48-60 days, seed direct from March and on, every 2 weeks for continuous crops.
Broccoli
- 70 days, start in greenhouse 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost.
Cabbage
- 80 to 150 days, start in greenhouse 6 weeks before last frost, transplant 3 weeks before last frost date.
Cauliflower
- 75-85 days. Start in greenhouse 6-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost.
Carrots
- 65-70 days, seed direct in ground, starting a few weeks before last frost. Repeat every 2 weeks for continuous crops.
Celery
- 120 days, start in greenhouse 8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost.
Corn
- Sweet Corn: 65-85 days, seed direct after last frost date.
- Popcorn: Same as above.
Cucumbers
- Pickling: 50-60 days, seed direct after last frost.
- Eating: 50-70 days, seed direct after last frost.
Greens
- Bok Choy: 44 days, start in greenhouse 4 weeks before last frost.
- Kale: 50-70 days, start in greenhouse 4 weeks before last frost.
- Spinach: 44 days, start in greenhouse 4 weeks before last frost.
- Swiss Chard: 55 days, start in greenhouse 4 weeks before last frost.
- Swiss Chard and Kale can be reseeded, directly, or in greenhouse, through the growing season.
Herbs
- Start in greenhouse in March, transplant or set outside after last frost.
Kohlrabi
- 60 days, start in greenhouse 4 weeks before last frost.
Lettuce
- Romaine: 60-80 days, start in greenhouse 4 to 6 weeks before last frost, transplant after last frost. Repeat every 2 weeks of seeding.
- Other leaf lettuce: 30-45 days, start in greenhouse 2 weeks before last frost, transplant after last frost. Repeat every 2 weeks of seeding.
Onions
- Eating: 110 days, start in greenhouse 8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost. (We grow Walla Walla)
- Bunching: 75 days, start in greenhouse 4-8 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost. Seed every 2 weeks for continuous crops.
Parsnips
- 130 days, seed direct when seeding carrots.
Peas
- Dwarf: Seed directly 4 to 6 weeks before last frost.
- Bush: 55-70 days, seed directly 4 to 6 weeks before last frost.
- Pole: 65-70 days, seed directly 4 to 6 weeks before last frost.
Peppers
- Hot: 70 days, Start in greenhouse 8 to 12 weeks before last frost. Transplant after
- Sweet: 75 days, same as above.
- Ancho: 80 days, same as above.
Pumpkin
- Jack Be Little: 95 days, start seeds 2 to 6 weeks before last frost, transplant after last frost.
- Regular Pumpkins: 90-120 days, start 2 to 6 weeks before last frost. Transplant after last frost.
Radishes
- 24-30 days, seed direct after last frost.
Rhubarb
- Start 8 to 12 weeks before last frost, in greenhouse. Transplant after last frost. Let establish before you harvest plants. A full year is the best.
Squash
- Summer Squash: 40-70 days, seed direct after last frost. If starting in greenhouse, 2 to 6 weeks before last frost.
- Butternut: 95 days, start in greenhouse 2 to 6 weeks before last frost, transplant after last frost date.
- Winter Squash: 105-110 days, start in greenhouse 2 to 6 weeks before last frost, transplant after last frost date.
Strawberry
- Alpine: Alpine plants produce ever bearing, for a fall crop from first year plants, start seeds in greenhouse 8-12 weeks before last frost. Slow germination is normal. Once last frost is passed, transplant to gallon pots, set outside to finish growing.
Tomatoes
- Dwarf: 60 days, start in greenhouse 4 weeks before last frost, or for bigger plants, up to 8 weeks. Transplant in first week of May.
- Shorter Season: 48-68 days, same as above.
- Heirloom: 60-80 days, same as above.
Watermelon
- 80+ days, seed direct after last frost.
~Sarah
