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Grow It 3-5 / Week 11 / Grow It Day
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Week 11 · Weather, Seasons and Planting

Grow It Day

Grow It Day: Planting Calendar
// When the weather says go
⏱ about 15 min

Grow It Day: Planting Calendar

Rocket draws twelve boxes on a big sheet of paper. "A calendar for Pine Valley!" he says.

Raven reads the frost dates aloud. "What do you notice? The safe season is in the middle."

Nova hovers over May. "Start with the last frost date," she says. "Then count forward and back."

The family grabs pencils and gets to work.

  1. Weather is right now. Climate is what a place usually gets over many years.
  2. Tables and graphs show the typical weather in each season.
  3. Frost forms on clear, calm, cold nights and can harm tender plants.
  4. Cool-season crops like peas go in early. Warm-season crops wait for warmth.
  5. Different places have different climates and different frost dates.
Pine Valley (made-up practice numbers)Date
Average last spring frostMay 1
Average first fall frostOctober 10
◇ MAKE A PLANTING CALENDAR
Draw a box for each month from March to October.
Write "last frost" on May 1. Write "first frost" on October 10.
Peas go in 45 to 60 days before the last frost. Count back and mark them.
Carrots and potatoes go 1 to 2 weeks after the peas. Mark them.
Beans, corn and cucumbers go in on May 1. Mark them.
Melons go in at least a week after May 1. Mark them.
Shade the frost-free season between May 1 and October 10.
Safety first
This is a paper activity. No seeds are planted today.
If you plant real seeds later, wear gloves for soil and wash your hands after.
For a grown-up
Help your child count back days on a real calendar.
Celebrate any mistakes you find together. Fixing them is the science.
CALENDAR CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Peas go in about 45 to 60 days before May 1. Which month is that?
Which crop goes in on May 1?
After October 10, what may happen to tender plants?

Calendar champions! Next week is our last week. You will design your own garden.

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