WHAT TO PLANT AND WHEN: A YEARLY PLANTING GUIDE FOR INDIANAPOLIS
Spring, summer, fall, or winter—there are so many things you can plant in Indianapolis to get your gardening fix all through the year! We created this yearly planting guide to help you organize a personal planting calendar for your garden.
Follow Our Yearly Guide to Planting Through Every Season
Following a planting schedule ensures that all your different plants will be off to a great start and have ideal environmental conditions during their early stages of growth. Here are all the different landscape plants, flowers, vegetables, and other things you can plant through every season.
Spring Planting
When the ground is thawed, and we’ve got a long, sunny summer up ahead, it’s the perfect time to start planting outdoors! The soil temperature is comfortable, so your plants won’t risk getting their roots shocked from the transition into a new setting.
Warm-Season Vegetables
Plant veggies that like hot sun and take several months to mature in the spring. These include tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, and many more.
Cool-Season Vegetables
Some vegetables don’t do well in high heat and prefer cool, mild temperatures. Plant them in early spring for a late spring or early summer harvest. Some cool-season edibles include radishes, kale, beets, lettuce, spinach, turnips, and many culinary herbs.
Trees and Shrubs
Larger landscape plants like trees and shrubs are sensitive to heat shock. Planting in spring is a great time to get them settled in the ground. Plus, they have all summer and fall to spread their roots!
Summer-Blooming Bulbs
Summer bulbs like dahlias, cannas, and lilies are meant for spring planting. Unlike spring-blooming bulbs, they don’t need a cooling period beforehand.
Perennial Flowers
Get your perennials in the ground while the temperatures are still mild, and they’ll have all summer to work on spreading those roots and getting established!
Summer Planting
Summer is usually when we’re taking care of all the things we planted in spring. Temperatures can be too hot for planting long-term landscape plants, but there are still a few things suitable for summer planting.
Cool-Season Vegetables
Near the end of summer, sneak in a second round of crops before winter arrives! The hot sun will help seeds germinate, and temperatures will dip to a comfortable, cool level as your plants mature.
Annuals
There are so many beautiful annuals to enjoy in summer and fall! If you have any spring planters that finish blooming by summer, swap those out with some late-blooming annuals to brighten the scenery.
Fall Planting
Similar to spring, fall has cool weather and mild soil temperatures. Fall planting is all about timing, as early fall planting can cause some plants to grow too quickly, and planting too late can leave insufficient time for roots to establish before the ground freezes.
Cool-Season Vegetables that Mature Quickly
In September, squeeze in a final harvest of fast-maturing veggies like radishes and leafy greens.
Spring-Blooming Bulbs
Tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and other spring-blooming bulbs need a period of cold temperatures to develop properly. Planting in fall exposes them to the cold winter. Once the spring heat sets in, your bulbs will sprout.
Trees and Shrubs
Larger landscape plants are suitable for fall planting, but you may need to cover them in burlap or tree wrap to protect them from freezing temperatures and frost.
Winter Planting
You can still plant things in winter! Dormant seeding can be an effective way to get a jump start on your lawn the following spring–grass seeds work themselves into your soil as the ground freezes and thaws. The soil may be too frozen for other planting, but there are lots of things you can grow indoors.
Indoor Gardens and Hydroponics
If you’ve got super sunny windows or grow lights, you can grow lots of things indoors over the winter. Growing food indoors year-round is especially easy if you have a hydroponic system!
Pre-Cooled Bulbs to Force Indoors
Some bulbs like snowdrops, hyacinths, and amaryllis are pre-treated, so you can grow them indoors! Simply plant them in a pot, water them well, place them near a bright window, and you’ll have gorgeous blooms in no time.
Start Seeds Indoors
If you prefer seed starting over starter plants, get a head start by sowing them indoors. Our last frost is usually in early May, so depending on how long your plants need to develop, you can start your seeds indoors around late February or March.
We hope this planting guide for Indianapolis helps you properly schedule your yearly gardening projects! If you have any questions about what to plant and when, feel free to drop us a line at Dammann’s Garden Company, and we’ll be happy to offer suggestions.