How to Use Growing Season Length (for Gardening Success)

The length of your growing season is one of the most important gardening numbers to know. Your growing season length determines what plants you can grow in summer. Gardener Scott discusses how to figure out and use that information in the garden. (Video #244)
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[@TheSamba37]

The timing of your videos is always super appropriate. Thanks Scott!

[@TheEnthusiasticGardener]

Scott you make it all so easy to understand 😊 hardiness zones are for the winter, growing season is for the summer. All makes sense now 🤣🤣

[@trudysfun]

I've discovered since moving to the subtropics, people in my area grow mostly through the winter season rather than try to keep plants alive during our summer heat, it all feels kinda backward and unintuitive to me, but I think when you say first and last frost date, in tropical regions it's first and last heatwave date ;) EDIT: I made this comment before getting to the end of your video! I love how thorough your videos are! Thanks Gardener Scott!

[@OakKnobFarm]

Interesting to hear your growing season! We are also zone 5B, but have about a 150 day season on average, running Memorial day to Halloween +/-

[@sofiaedmundson9128]

Who else saw the bunny in the background at 13:26? Awwww...

[@GardenerScott]

I usually know when they're around, but I didn't see him until the replay too. :)

[@LowcountryGardener]

The Farmer's Almanac says my growing season is 247 days, yet I've been growing 365 days as my collards love the winter frost and I'll cover my lettuce and some root veggies when the temps get down less than 28 degrees.

[@joeseatat]

Oh man. THIS is what we hadn't taken into account. Many times we've tried to grow large tomatoes or peppers, but they haven't ripened in time. Thank you so much! I'm going to look up my growing season right now.

[@concert610]

Texas (Zone 8b bordering 9a) last year summer hit over 100°F. Many plants shutdown after 90°F. Two years ago we were hitting 120°F. My peppers started producing in the Fall. I tried rigging a shade cloth but with our winds I need to build something much more substantial. I even tried putting T shirts on tomatoe cages. It helped to a degree. Might work for transplanting seedlings.

[@leslienichols5268]

thanks Gardener Scott! looking at my 5b garden too!

[@maggiemanzke7926]

Great, timely info! I'm ready to extend my season next month - good thing I love all those cold-loving greens! :D

[@AbundantAcresHomestead]

We just got snow and expecting more so I’m itching to get to seeing weather like yours! Short growing season here

[@justinfowler6325]

I just found out i have almost 320 days in my growing season! Wow thats a lot more than the projections for last season. Thanks for the video Scott

[@tamarabonet9438]

Great information! I learned that frost can happen at 36 degrees F.

[@tomasztlalka395]

I was reminded of it this very winter. I live in SW Spain, zone 9b/10a so I don't really get frost but a month ago we got some really chilly mornings (for about a week - can't remember anything like that in years) and quite a few of my plants suffered.

[@joannecordone6831]

Thank you for the explanation and clarification. I had seen the MIgardener video, and this is perfect companion video. My location. 6a, May 3 to October 10.

[@damattice23]

Thank you for clarifying, really helpful.

[@GrownToCook]

This was an excellent explanation! I’m in the Netherlands and often get asked what my zone is by American gardeners. Officially, it’s 8A, but since we’re on the 52nd parallel north, our growing season is much shorter than that of a comparable hardiness zone in the USA. I’ve just made a video trying to explain this too :)

[@frankbarnwell____]

the day it will be 20f near Galveston after hundreds bought tomato and pepper plants at a "store I know". good luck in the negatives up there, Scott.

[@candacethompson2521]

Good info.thanks

[@heymike7037]

Climate change has really impacted where I live in Ontario, Canada. When I was a kid in the 1990's our zone was 4b but now we're officially 5b (as of 2010) and we're probably even warmer now in 2021, they just haven't updated the numbers yet. Our growing season went from somewhere around 110-120 days or so in the 1990's to now over 150 days with our last frost date happening earlier and our first frost date getting later. We have an annual tulip festival here and they are currently deciding whether to move the event up by a couple of weeks since the tulips in recent years have been coming up several weeks too early. Lately the festival has been starting just as most of the tulips are finishing and starting to wilt which isn't a good look for the city and tourism.

[@genconex]

Strange. It was hotter in the 90's in AZ. I remember it Consistently being between 115-120°F with some days surpassing 122°F. Now it hovers between 110-115°F with the occasional day reaching 117-118°F. Historically, it's bound to go back to 115-120. Followed by 110-115. So, it's just normal weather patterns for us.

[@micropaisaje]

Hello there! This is my first year as gardener and where I live summers are really hot (Seville, Spain). I was starting to worry about what would happen to my veg garden on that time. You gave the clue to my concerns! Thanks

[@myrnaedmisten599]

So so helpful!

[@LeverActionLarry]

Good stuff as usual.

[@DavidBrown-vx6fb]

excellent presentation! I’ve been gardening for 40 years plus! Never heard a presentation on this! there have been times that I had crop failure! Most have to hot Summer Heat! This will help me tremendously when I buy and plant seeds! Thanks!

[@dwaynewladyka577]

This is very helpful. I'm in Alberta, Canada. Our weather is similar to that of Colorado. We have such a change in the weather. We can even get a risk of frost in May, June and in August. Snow can also happen in May and even in August and September. It would be nice to have an even amount of days without a risk of frost. Thanks for sharing this. Cheers!

[@lar113]

I like to subtract a week on either side of my frost dates. To be honest, I'd rather have a late frost in spring than an early frost in fall. In spring, I can still buy some plants at nurseries or switch crops. In the fall, I'm scrambling to harvest or cover the crops. Thank you for the video.

[@laurenmarefka1864]

This was so helpful! Thank you for explaining this for us new gardeners!

[@scrappyquilter102]

I am 5b as well in the Georgian Bay area of Ontario, but unlike you, we have well over a foot of snow on everything. Keeps the soil cooler for longer in the spring.

[@3moirai]

I like to use weatherspark .com to check the growing season. Just put in your city and scroll down to the *growing season* section.

[@patriciarobinson1576]

Thank you! So helpful! Been collecting local weather info last couple of days. Turns out i was trying to figure out my 'growing season' here in high desert Arizona, where days between freeze dates are first hot, dry and windy, and then a hot wet monsoon period, producing two short growing seasons. Challenging, but a greenhouse, mulch and shade cloth will hopefully help extend the growing season(s). At least that's the plan this year :)

[@johngay1981]

Good info GS. I listen while driving instead of radio. I'll need to watch again later. I'm in GA, zone 7.

[@pops3882]

Soil temps should be taken when direct seeding. I had some terrible germination rates with corn one year because while we didn't get a frost we didn't get any warm weather either.

[@lindadavidson2237]

So important about building in "safeguard" time. Last year we had first frost about a month early.

[@genconex]

I live in AZ and grow through the summer. Zone 9B. So, your brother must be doing something wrong because crops grow here pretty much year round. A huge benefit of zone 9B is that several plants such as peppers, tomatoes, tomatillo, and eggplant can produce for more than one growing season. I've had pepper plants go 5 years with zero issues.

[@marymccormick7806]

Love your explanation of hardiness zone and growing season. I’ve never thought about growing days vs time to harvest numbers. Def going to calculate! I’m in 6a -Ohio.

[@lynetteflowers8639]

Good evening Gardener Scott. Always thankful🌻

[@homesteadinglee2067]

Here in zone 7 i have about 180 days in my growing season. Also I start my seeds indoors many weeks before time to plant. so i honestly end up with around 236 days that's alot of growing time and harvest time. I love your videos the way you think and explain things.

[@derekcox6531]

In my area of Alberta I just never try to grow many (tomatoes) for. example, that are much more than 65 days. 2.5 months. That’s my goal for ripe warm weather plants. After that,I have to plan for covering and “protecting” the p,ants from all sorts of weird foothills weather. Today it’s -40c , so I expect my few perennial plants will likely be dead come spring due to a lack of snow cover. It’s just one of those zone 4 challenges.

[@generationalhomestead691]

June 10 here

[@laurabehenna9602]

Scott, if you grow those watermelons this year, I'll be eager to hear how it turns out and how you did it to achieve success! I can't even get cool-tolerant Blacktail Mountain watermelon plants to size up in my NW MT garden.

[@GardenerScott]

If they work, I'll definitely have them in a video.

[@Dot2TrotsLowCarbLiving]

In theory, my summer is 196 days. But the trees, my deck and location of the sun in early September don’t agree.

[@cypherknot]

I use weather spark dot com as my preferred data site.

[@TJtheHAWK]

Love these kind of videos Scott. Mabye you could in the future discuss how latitude and hardiness zones interact for example I imagine it must be much harder to grow warm season crops in zone 7b Alaska than it is in 6A Georgia? How does the sun's angle effect the duration of the growing season?

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. I have considered a video on latitude to compare the Northern US with the UK and how longer days in Alaska during summer can grow bigger vegetables. Your comparison idea of Alaska and Georgia is good.

[@martindohnal7154]

👌

[@SColan910]

Love your videos GS!! I watch them all year round but start to get antsy about now. What do you plant in the raised something over your left shoulder? The one with the black wrap and the green stake in the middle. It's about 4' high.

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! I have leaves in there to make leaf mold. I have a video that shows that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYTLZZ-qrLKFgM0

[@SColan910]

@@GardenerScott Thanks for the video. It was really informative!

[@acamelwholikescoke4641]

I’m not a fan of the frost date things. I’m in South Carolina zone 8a and I have a shorter growing season then New York according to the frost date calculator. My last frost is supposed to be at the end of March but we usually never get frost after the first week in February, never recorded in March since the 1980s. They need to update those things

[@Scott3387]

UK problems. We have a growing season in the south from basically the start of May to November but still cannot grow things like melons outside because it doesn't get hot enough. We need to use greenhouses/polytunnels and still can only grow the same types as yourself. First frost date is almost never used for this reason. We do have the potential of lots of succession sowing though so no real complaints.

[@myminihomestead]

Do you have a video showing how you built the metal bed?

[@GardenerScott]

Not yet, but it's coming soon.

[@petem2011]

Hi Gardener Scott what is the black roll in the background?

[@GardenerScott]

It is filled with leaves to make leaf mold.

[@pamelacorsi]

Does the benefit of direct sowing some plants outweigh the advantage of starting the plant indoors? I'm thinking of winter squash because I have been told it is better to direct sow squashes but I loose light in late August although my frost isn't until the end of September. Thank you!

[@GardenerScott]

I think many plants, like squash, have more benefits when direct sown, but in short growing seasons the best option may be to get extra time at the beginning. I almost always direct sow winter squash and plan to cover with hoops and plastic in fall, if needed.

[@petem2011]

I think it is your leaf compost pile. Am I correct?

[@kjrchannel1480]

This makes me think of how many plants were killed in Texas that technically are tropicals. Maybe it's time to rethink growing zones. I am starting to think the farmers almanac is a work of trivia.

[@jimdpressley]

Do you have any recommendation on a camera/ phone and editing program to load on KZbin or email? Im.askinhg for our pastor. Continue your informative videos. I'm in zone 7, first snow today, last frost date is may 15, first is Oct 15. We don't get hot summers, will try green house for some tomatoes

[@GardenerScott]

I use a Lumix camera and PowerDirector editing program for my videos. They work well for me.

[@jimdpressley]

@@GardenerScott thank you

[@mommajscountrygardening]

My growing season is 183 days.

[@gottabehigh24]

Why he gotta talk like we all gradeschoolers?

[@basicbaroque]

He doesn't want to exclude people like: first time gardeners, young gardeners, and those who may have a disability. It's better for most people to understand information when it's in a concise manor, so better for videos geared towards education, like this one.