Built a couple of raised beds to mess around with this year. I'm in the FL panhandle, so basically the same as South AL in terms of weather patterns. I'm wanting to do some tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini(do people do good with this?) and maybe some herbs.

My main question is, when is the right time to plant the stuff if I'm not doing it from seed, buying already started stuff from lowes, etc? Did some google research, but it seems to be all over the place. But best I can tell, sometime mid March is good? That gives me a week or two to get the dirt mix in my beds just right?

I would wait till about Easter. I've always believed that there is a good chance of a tender plant killing frost at Easter, and it is usually true.

Good Friday.

Good Friday

10-4 thanks probably would have planted too early!

The whole Good Friday thing, along with tradition, actually has some science behind it. Thanks to the Council of Nicaea, which based its decision on Jesus Christ's death and resurrection around the time of the Jewish Passover, Easter is always the Sunday following the 1st full moon after the Vernal (Spring) Equinox. Some years it is earlier, some years it is later. But normally, Good Friday you are relatively safe from most frosts in the Deep South. However, the scientific part has to do with the full moon... the gravitational effect. The thought is, you plant your seed around a full moon when the gravitational pull is the highest, and then as that pull lessens and lessens, the earth essentially swallows up your seed. Now that may be a big mess of hogwash, but it sounds pretty good. And normally it works rather well.


Otherwise, check this out. Produced by the Extension Service. Pretty comprehensive and a good general rule of thumb for most of the stuff you would plant.

http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0063/ANR-0063.pdf

It's about soil temps, not a date on the calendar.

I saw a corn patch planted today. I may plant some next weekend, depending on the weather.

I planted corn the last week of March last year and it worked out great. It lightly frosted on it twice with visible effects.

We are supposed to have frost the first three days of this week, so nothing tender in the ground here yet. If that soil is not warm enough, it does not matter whether you plant early or not.

My rule of thumb is April 15. Btw I’m working on seedlings tomorrow

I put in broccoli, onions and cauliflower this past weekend. Already had lettuce and cabbage in the beds.

Got all my beds fed, dirt added and in shape for new crops this past weekend.

Actually, it's based on average last frost date, frost will take out seedlings. But you do need the soil temperature for proper germination.