Here’s What You Shouldn’t Be Planting in the Spring

Spring might be the prime growing season, but some plants require a little more patience. Some veggies, turf, and flowers are too sensitive to thrive during spring’s chilly nights and summer’s intense heat. 

So, what should you hold off on planting? Here’s a list so you can create your own personalized garden calendar. 

What to Plant In Summer

Spring can still see cold temperatures—and, depending on where you live, snow flurries. To protect your weather-sensitive plants, don’t put them in the ground until summer.

Tender Vegetables and Flowers

At the beginning of the season, plant tender hot-weather vegetables and flowers. This includes anything that needs warmer soil to thrive, such as:

• Tomatoes

• Peppers

• Corn

• Beans

• Petunias

• Marigold

Grass

If you seed in the spring (especially towards the end of the season), the summer heat can actually damage your new grass. Instead, wait until late summer or even early fall to seed your lawn. Plus, the seeds won’t be overrun with crabgrass or other types of weeds that pop up in summer. 

What to Plant In Fall 

You won’t want to wait until there’s a foot of snow on the ground, but there are benefits to planting as the temperatures begin to cool.

Some Trees and Shrubs

Trees and shrubs tend to be the largest plant investments you’ll make, so make sure they thrive after transplanting. Because plants stop investing energy into top growth when air temperatures cool down during the fall, they can instead focus on growing their roots. 

To help plants like rhododendrons and azaleas thrive, ask a local landscaper to water them well until the ground freezes.

Spring-Blooming Bulbs

For a beautiful spring garden, get your bulbs in the ground once nighttime temperatures reach 50 degrees Fahrenheit. But don’t wait too long—ideally, you’ll plant these bulbs six weeks or more before the first hard frost. 

Here’s what to plant:

• Tulips

• Daffodils

• Hyacinths

• Alliums

• Crocuses 

Cool-Season Vegetables

Fast-growing root vegetables, like turnips, beets, and radishes, will flourish in cool weather and mature in a couple of months. You can also plant ornamental kale, cabbage, onion, and garlic in the early fall. 

Cool-Season Annuals

Bright blooms aren’t only for spring! Fall gardens also bring the color, and these flowers need to go in the ground in early autumn. They’re able to tolerate frosty evenings, too—some can even handle temperatures as low as the mid-20s. 

You’ll want to plant:

• Pansies

• Snapdragons

• Dianthus

• Lobelia

• Cornflower