(Ask your county Extension agent about So Easy to Preserve.) Allow about 1/10 acre of garden space for each member of the family. Plant the amount of each vegetable to be planted, including enough to can and freeze.Consider planting a few new varieties along with the old favorites.Plan the garden to include various vitamin groups. Other extension publications containing information about specific gardening practices are mentioned throughout this leaflet and are available at your county Extension office. This calendar is prepared mainly as a reminder and guide for planning your garden work. Every year does not conform to the "average," so you should use your own judgment about advancing or delaying the time for each job, depending on weather conditions. The following recommendations are based on long-term average dates of the last killing frost in the spring and first killing frost in the fall. In north Georgia, the spring planting dates are from one to three weeks later as you progress northward through the mountain counties fall planting dates are about two weeks earlier. Spring planting dates can be as much as two to three weeks earlier in extreme south Georgia, and fall planting dates can also be as much as two weeks later. To use this calendar, consider middle Georgia as a belt across the state from Columbus through Macon to Augusta.
Important Note: The monthly recommendations - especially the spring and fall planting dates - are for the typical day and month in middle Georgia. January and February are prime times for looking at seed catalogs, dreaming of warm spring days, preparing garden plots, and getting ready for a productive season. The spring plantings are harvested in June and July, while the fall plantings are harvested from October to December. The two major planting periods, however, are spring (March to May) and fall (mid-July to September). You can plant or harvest something from your garden almost all year. Reviewed by Bob Westerfield, Extension Horticulturist