About VegetableGardening.net

We help people grow vegetables at home, from a first raised bed to a backyard plot. Every guide answers a real gardening question with research from university extension services and USDA.

The source sits beside each figure, and planting advice names the region it fits. A date that suits Georgia can be far too early in Minnesota, and we’d rather tell you that than hand everyone the same date.

VegetableGardening.net is operated by Jummo Vegetable Garden. Guides carry a shared Editorial Team byline.

Why this site exists

A lot of vegetable gardening advice gets passed along without anyone checking it. Plant after a certain holiday. Grow marigolds to keep bugs away. Feed the garden every couple of weeks.

Some of that works in some places. Some of it doesn’t hold up at all. We go back to the research, say what it supports, and say where it applies.

Why this site exists
You’ll often hearWhat the research saysSource
Plant everything after the last frost.Hardy crops like peas and spinach can go in 2 to 4 weeks before it. Tomatoes and squash wait until after, once the soil warms.Colorado State Extension
Marigolds keep pests away.Planted beside crops, marigolds don’t stop root-knot nematodes. They help only as a solid cover crop turned into the soil.LSU AgCenter
Feed the garden every few weeks.Fertilize by soil test. Too much nitrogen grows leafy plants with little to pick.Virginia Tech, K-State
Water a little every day.Most gardens need about 1 inch a week. Frequent, light watering keeps roots shallow.Univ. of Minnesota, UGA
Spray at the first sign of bugs.Identify the insect first. Most garden insects are harmless or helpful, and the gentlest fix often does the job.UConn Extension

What we cover

Ten topic areas, laid out in roughly the order a garden season runs. Start wherever your question is.

Where our guidance stops

Most gardening mistakes cost a crop. A few cost more than that. Four rules apply to every guide on the site.

  • We describe plant problems. We don’t diagnose them.

    A guide can show what early blight or squash bugs look like. Your county extension office or a plant diagnostic lab confirms what your plant has.

  • We publish no pesticide rates.

    The product label sets the rate, the timing, and the safety steps, and the label is the law. We explain what a product type does, never how much to use.

  • Preserving follows tested methods.

    For canning and other home preserving, we point to tested methods from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, never improvised recipes.

  • Local conditions come first.

    Planting dates depend on your frost date, and fertilizer depends on your soil test. Every guide says which region its figures come from.

Who we write for

Guides are written so a first-time gardener can follow them and an experienced one can check a figure fast.

  • First-time gardeners

    A first bed, the easiest crops, and what to do each week of the season.

  • Raised bed and container growers

    Soil mixes, spacing, and watering for small spaces.

  • Backyard plot gardeners

    Rows, rotation, and keeping a bigger garden manageable.

  • Community garden members

    Shared plots, borrowed soil, and a season that has to count.

  • Teachers and youth leaders

    School gardens and 4-H projects, with clear explanations and sources to cite.

  • Experienced gardeners

    A fast check of a date, a figure, or a rule before you act on it.

The team

Four people research, write, check, and edit the guides. Every guide passes through at least two of them, which is why guides carry a shared Editorial Team byline.

  • Saif Hasan

    Saif Hasan

    Research lead

    Tracks extension publications, USDA updates, and food safety guidance, and picks the source for each question.

    Planting calendarsSoilFood safety
  • Rifat Rahman

    Rifat Rahman

    Growing guides writer

    Turns research on seeds, soil, and watering into steps a first-time gardener can follow.

    SeedsCropsGarden care
  • Siam Ali

    Siam Ali

    Fact checker

    Opens every cited source and confirms each figure and its region before a guide is published.

    FiguresSourcesCorrections
  • Fahim Islam

    Fahim Islam

    Editor

    Keeps guides short, plain, and focused on the question the reader actually asked.

    ClarityStructureReader questions

How a guide gets made

Every guide grows the same way, from a reader’s question to a checked and dated page.

  1. Step 1

    Start with a real question

    We write for questions gardeners search for and send us, like when to plant tomatoes in zone 6b.

  2. Step 2

    Go to the primary source

    Extension publications, USDA data, and product labels. Not summaries of summaries.

  3. Step 3

    Check where it applies

    We note the region, climate, and soil a figure came from, and compare other regions before writing.

  4. Step 4

    Check every figure

    A second person opens each source and confirms every number before the guide goes live.

  5. Step 5

    Review it each season

    Planting guides are rechecked every winter, and any guide is fixed as soon as an error turns up.

Where our information comes from

We start with the strongest source available and work down from there. If a claim can’t be traced to a named source, it doesn’t go in a guide.

First choiceFederal agencies

USDA, including the Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the EPA for pesticide labels; the FDA for food safety.

Second choiceLand-grant extension services

Matched to the reader’s region, from Minnesota and Oregon State to Missouri, Iowa State, and UF/IFAS.

Third choicePeer-reviewed research

Horticulture journals, used when extension guidance doesn’t cover a question.

Product details onlyLabels and manufacturer specs

Seed packets, product labels, and spec sheets, used for what a product is, never for how well it works.

Not usedForums, social media, and other blogs

Along with any figure that has no named source or no date.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone MapNational Center for Home Food PreservationEPAUniversity of Minnesota ExtensionOregon State ExtensionUniversity of Missouri ExtensionIllinois ExtensionK-State Research and ExtensionUF/IFAS Gardening SolutionsVirginia Cooperative Extension

Corrections and updates

When we get something wrong, we fix it, note what changed, and name the source the fix came from. We never swap a number quietly. Gardeners often spot problems first, and every correction helps the next reader.

  • Winter

    Planting calendars and zone schedules are reviewed before seed-starting season.

  • Spring

    Seed-starting, frost date, and transplanting guides are checked as planting begins.

  • Summer

    Watering, pest, and harvest guides are checked through the main growing season.

  • Fall

    Fall planting, storage, and preserving guides are reviewed as the season winds down.

Spotted a figure that looks off? Email editor@vegetablegardening.net with the page and the source you’re comparing against.

Get in touch

Corrections and sources

Tell us the page, the figure, and the source you’re comparing against.

editor@vegetablegardening.net

Corrections usually go up within a week.

Everything else

Questions about the site, permissions, or a page that won’t load.

contact@vegetablegardening.net

We aim to reply within three business days.

Sick plant or mystery bug?

Your county extension office and local Master Gardener volunteers can identify plant problems for your area.

Read our editorial policy or visit the contact page.