reading the charts

I've always had problems reading charts and the planting guide charts showing when to plant and if it should be seed or transplant is no difference could someone help me understand them

belladonnamini wrote:I've always had problems reading charts and the planting guide charts showing when to plant and if it should be seed or transplant is no difference could someone help me understand them

:scratch: I'm not sure what type of charts you are referring to.... seed packets will tell you when to plant in your zone, and how/when to start them indoors. The ANSFG book gives a LOT of info on different plants as far as which should be started indoors or out, and how to start them. But a lot of that also depends on your zone.

A GREAT tool I found is on growveg.com (hope this link works, not sure I can do links yet). This website has a free trial for planning your garden, and the first thing you will do once signed up is input your zipcode; then a list of plants specific to your zone will populate and from here you have a couple options: click on the plants you are interested in to learn how and when to plant, OR, if you want to, plan your garden as you would like then it will create a chart for you showing how much of each plant you chose, when to plant them in the garden (again, reading the plant info should tell you whether you need to start seed indoors or sow seeds directly in your garden), and when to harvest them - all for your zone.

Again, without knowing what you're looking at I'm not sure this is what you needed but I hope it helps!

First of all,

If you go to the KY Cooperative Extension website, then use their search box to search for "vegetable planting calendar" you should be able to find a document containing a table that lists vegetables in alphabetical order. The charts I've seen for different states usually give you the months they suggest planting different vegetables, and it usually states whether you want to plant seeds or do transplants during that period.

Then look at your seed packets to see whether it's a vegetable that can be started inside, or if it has to be sown directly into the garden. Most things can be grown either way, and the length of your growing season will determine whether you should start seeds indoors or have the time to allow them to grow from seed to harvest outdoors. All seed packets will give you an approximation of days to harvest. That's how long it takes to grow something from seed. Make sure you choose vegetables that will produce a harvest within the length of your growing season. Some things have a shorter growing season than others, even within a category (like squash).

Hope that helps!

belladonnamini wrote:I've always had problems reading charts and the planting guide charts showing when to plant and if it should be seed or transplant is no difference could someone help me understand them

Being nosey and hoping to help you... Are you dyslexic or colour blind ?

For I have a colour chart device from The Royal Horticultural Society called their "Veg planner " it is downloadable for free .. I found the colours far easier to follow than trying to read numbers or black blobs on white paper.

All I have to do is line up a clear plastic ruler with the part of each month Im lookingh at and see what needs doing etc. i 'd get lost if I tried to follow things with just my eyes .

I've ended up using this idea to make my own A4 paper work/ record sheets that shows what I've done and when it should be ready for harvesting . I chose the colours & shades that stand out well for me , not anyone else..

The charts im looking at are the ones in the Newest version of SFG, they have me confused if some one has the book and can talk to me about it i will give out my e-mail or my skype.

Hey folks, let's try to keep in mind here that we are on the Official Square Foot Gardening Forum, and that if a member posts a question about something we should by default be referring to the All New Square Foot Gardening book that this forum supports. So "reading the charts" means the charts in the book, unless specifed otherwise. Simple as that!

Of course, everyone still offered some great advice! So many friendly folks around here that you're bound to get the help you need. Plantoid, excellent point on dsylexia or color-blindness affecting the readability, and it was kind of you to point out some methods you've developed for overcoming those difficulties.

belladonnamini, I'm still in my first year of gardening but I'm pretty sure I've got a handle on how to read the charts. I'm going to send you a PM and I'll see if I can help you!