Lingo, defined.

Something odd is happening in the gardening world. When I was a child, we stuck a seed in a paper Dixie cup filled with some dirt, doused it with water, and put it on a windowsill.

It grew.

I'm not sure how it's possible that we grew anything back then, because it seems that today's gardeners need Ph.Ds to understand the terms thrown around catalogs and websites. I embarrassingly found myself preaching at a friend who planned to start some seeds, rattling off too much information about soilless seed starting mediums, light exposure for seedlings, and peat versus plastic pots. My Master Gardener alter-ego took over, spewing forth statistics and lingo like the obnoxious know-it-all from 8th grade science class. Yeesh. I hope I didn't kill her enthusiasm.

The reality is—gardening is a lot of trial and error, which is half the fun. Yes, there are some things you can do to make your success rate a little higher, especially if you're starting your plants from seeds. But the truth is—it's not rocket science, as so many vendors and websites would lead to to believe.

There is a very simple formula for success:

soil + seed + water + sun = plant

OK, maybe it's not always that simple. But with the amount of books and merchandise targeting the home gardener, it's amazing that our forefathers were able to survive through farming.

Now, it is important to know some terms and some basic information about where you grow. And for the newer gardeners, it's also helpful to know the “lingo” when browsing catalogs and websites. So, I thought I'd share a bit of info on this chilly February day to help you “talk the talk” when you're getting ready to plan your garden. (For those of you that are Master Gardeners, with or without the official certification, please feel free to leave suggestions or comments below for new-to-gardening friends!) I'm just touching on a few terms here—please let me know if you come across other lingo you'd like defined!

Where does your garden grow?
Are you in the Windy City? Chilly Maine? Hot and humid California? Many gardening catalogs and books refer to your gardening zone, a map developed by the USDA. Knowing your zone is the first place to start—once you know in which zone you are gardening, you can determine when to plant, when your freeze dates are, and what varieties of plants will grow well for your area.

Additionally, when looking for perennials, you can determine which will survive the winter in your area. You can also determine which plants are best suited for your growing conditions. For instance, some varieties of tomatoes do not grow well in humid climates. Some tomatoes can produce well in a short northern season. By knowing your zone, you can select the appropriate tomato for your region based on the catalog description. To find your zone, check out the map below:


Where I garden, Spartanburg, SC is zone 7b. That means that on average, our lowest temps are between 5 to 10 degrees. I also know that when looking at perennials, I can plant pretty much anything that is winter hardy to zone 7b. In catalog information for perennials, you'll almost always find a “hardiness zone” indicator.

Planting Season:
When you're getting ready to plant your garden in the spring, one of the most important items you'll need to know is your last frost date for your zone. There is nothing more discouraging than planting your seedlings, dreaming of fresh veggies...and then losing them to a killing frost.

Trust me. I've learned the hard way.

So, in keeping with our “lingo” theme, here are a few more definitions for you:

Frost: Light Freeze. Damage depends upon length of frost duration.
Light Freeze: -2C/-0C OR 29F/32F - tender plants killed with little destructive effect on other vegetation.
Moderate Freeze:-8C/-2C OR 25F/28F - wide destruction on most vegetation with heavy damage to fruit blossoms and tender semi-hardy plants.
Severe Freeze:-9C OR 24F and colder, heavy damage to most plants

Some plants, such a cabbage, can handle frost. Others, like basil or tomatoes, will punish you for planting them too early. So, to help you plan your planting dates, here's some more information:

Average Zone Frost Dates
Zone 1
Average dates Last Frost = 1 Jun / 30 Jun
Average dates First Frost = 1 Jul / 31 Jul Note: vulnerable to frost 365 days per year

Zone 2
Average dates Last Frost = 1 May / 31 May
Average dates First Frost = 1 Aug / 31 Aug

Zone 3
Average dates Last Frost = 1 May / 31 May
Average dates First Frost = 1 Sep / 30 Sep

Zone 4
Average dates Last Frost = 1 May / 30 May
Average dates First Frost = 1 Sep / 30 Sep

Zone 5
Average dates Last Frost = 30 Mar / 30 Apr
Average dates First Frost = 30 Sep / 30 Oct

Zone 6
Average dates Last Frost = 30 Mar / 30 Apr
Average dates First Frost = 30 Sep / 30 Oct

Zone 7
Average dates Last Frost = 30 Mar / 30 Apr
Average dates First Frost = 30 Sep / 30 Oct

Zone 8
Average dates Last Frost = 28 Feb / 30 Mar
Average dates First Frost = 30 Oct / 30 Nov

Zone 9
Average dates Last Frost = 30 Jan / 28 Feb
Average dates First Frost = 30 Nov / 30 Dec

Zone 10
Average dates Last Frost = 30 Jan or before
Average dates First Frost = 30 Nov / 30 Dec

Zone 11
Free of Frost throughout the year.

Days to what?
When you're looking at plants or seeds, you'll typically see some cryptic information—such as "number of days" in parentheses, and “I” or “D” for tomatoes, “A” and “P” for plants, among other information. What the heck is that?

First, let's cover the easy one:
“A”--Annual. Plants that complete their life cycle in one year. They grow, flower, produce seeds, and die.
“P”-- Perennial. Plants that live for many years. After reaching maturity, they typically produce flowers and seeds each year.

Now, because I'm tomato obsessed, you'll need to know about the two types of tomatoes: Determinate and Indeterminate.

Determinate: These are varieties that set their fruit at one time for one big harvest. Determinate varieties are great if you're planning to make lots of sauce or to preserve tomatoes—the plants will produce most of their fruit within a short window, and you'll be set to process your tomatoes. These generally are smaller plants, more of a “bush” variety.

Indeterminate: These varieties produce fruit throughout the season, ensuring that you always have a steady supply of fresh tomatoes until frost. Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost and can reach heights of up to 10 feet. They will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the growing season. The majority of heirloom tomatoes are indeterminate.

Now, let's talk about dates: If you're looking at a seed catalog, you might find information stating “Days to Germinate” and “Days to Harvest.”

The first, Days to Germinate, means the approximate number of days it will take your seed to sprout. Remember—these are approximate dates.

“Days to Harvest” is debated, but most gardeners believe that this is the number of days from the time you transplant your seedling into the garden until it produces its first fruit. Again, the number of days is an approximation and varies depending upon zone and growing conditions.

So, for instance, I have a pack of tomato seeds. The days to germinate reads “3-10 days.” The days to harvest reads “75 days.” The information on the back of the packet tells me to sow seeds inside 6-8 weeks before the last spring frost date. In zone 7b, my last frost date is from March 30-April 30, so I'm going to be optimistic and hope the frost is gone by April 15. I want nice, big transplants to set out in the garden, so I'll start my seeds right after Valentine's Day and expect them to begin sprouting within a week. I'll let them grow inside, under lights until the weather warms up in April, and then I'll slowly start introducing them to the great outdoors—first in dappled sunlight, then each day giving them a little more sun for about 10 days. This is the “hardening off” process. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! If you take your sheltered plants and immediately put them in the scorching sun for 8 hours—all of your work will be lost. Your plants will be shocked and die, and you'll be a very unhappy gardener.

After the 7-10 days of hardening off, you're ready to plant your babies into the garden. I'll start expecting to see tomatoes around July 1.

Of course, you can skip the above steps and let Garden Delights grow your plants for you! :-)

Wow—I just realized how long this little tutorial is! In the interest of keeping you from falling asleep, I'll stop now. Is there some specific gardening advice you want to know? Something perplexing you've found online or in a catalog that's difficult to understand? Please feel free to post questions or comments here, and I'll do my best to find the answers!

Until next time ~

Keep dreaming of Spring!

Julie