Regional guide

Long Island Vegetable Planting Guide

A CCE Suffolk Long Island vegetable timing guide for outdoor seeding, indoor starts, transplant windows, wet-soil caution, and spacing caveats.

Climate signals

• Vegetable Planting Times - Guidelines for Long Island covers planting vegetable seeds outdoors, seeds indoors for starting transplants, and transplants outdoors on Long Island.
• The source says the table is a guideline, not exact planting dates, and should be used for when gardeners may want to consider planting.
• Weather conditions will vary on Long Island, and in any given year the spring growing season may be ahead or behind schedule for a week or two or more.
• Wet soil conditions are another spring limiting factor; turning soil under or rototilling when soil is wet can damage the soil structure.
• Working wet soil can cause a hard, crusty layer and hard clods or balls that interfere with seeding and good root development.

Planning notes

• The source says there is considerable room for adjustment depending on garden size, gardening method, individual variety characteristics, and the methods used to cultivate soil between plants and rows.
• Use seed package labels for seed spacing and plant thinning details, and pair this guide with the leaflet titled Using Average Freeze Dates for Starting Vegetable Seeds when needed.
• Beans are listed for outdoor seeding from Late May to early June, with continued planting up to mid July.
• Beets are listed for outdoor seeding in Late April.
• Broccoli is listed for indoor seeding in March, outdoor seeding from Mid April to late July, and plants outdoors from Early April through early September.
• Cabbage is listed with Mid April outdoor seed timing and June to early July plant timing.
• Carrots are listed for outdoor seeding in Early April.
• Cauliflower is listed for indoor seeding in March, outdoor seeding in June, and plants outdoors in April and July.
• Sweet corn is listed for outdoor seeding from Mid April to July.
• Cucumber is listed for outdoor seeding from Late May to late June.
• Eggplant is listed for indoor seeding in Early to mid April and plants outdoors from Late May to early June.
• Lettuce is listed from April to early September, depending on type.
• Muskmelon is listed for indoor seeding in Early to mid May, with outdoor seed and plant windows from Late May to early June.
• Peas are listed for outdoor seeding from Late March to Late May.
• Peppers are listed for indoor seeding in Early to mid April and plants outdoors from Late May to early June.
• Pumpkin and squash are listed as a combined row for outdoor seeding from Late May to late June; this guide only links the catalog pumpkin example because the source does not split summer and winter squash.
• Radishes are listed for outdoor seeding from April through August.
• Spinach is listed for Early April-May in spring and August for fall.
• Tomatoes are listed for indoor seeding in Early to mid April and plants outdoors from Late May to early June.
• Watermelon is listed for indoor seeding from Late April to early May and outdoor seed or plant timing from Late May to early June.
• Use these priority catalog links as crop-row examples, not CCE cultivar recommendations.

Catalog crop examples

These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.

• Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
• Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
• Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
• Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
• Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
• Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
• Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
• Black Beauty Eggplant Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
• Hale's Best Jumbo Melon Vegetable · Warm · 85 days
• Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
• California Wonder Pepper Vegetable · Warm · 72 days
• Small Sugar Pumpkin Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
• French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
• Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
• Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
• Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days

Related regional guides

• Upstate New York Frost-Window Vegetable Garden Cornell planting-date guide for upstate New York vegetable planning using May 20 spring frost, October 1 fall frost, crop groups, and rotation families.
• New York City Area Vegetable Planting Guide Cornell Harvest NY guide for NYC-area spring, summer, and fall vegetable windows, soil dry-out timing, frost dates, and S/T crop rows.

Source: CCE Suffolk Vegetable Planting Times Guidelines for Long Island