Seed Calendar for MO 6b

Here is where I update and archive our yearly gardening seed calendar for Missouri & Hardiness Zone 6b.
This changes slightly every year depending on the current weather in Missouri.

Are your seeds still good?

Seed Calendar for Missouri 6b

Plant = Plant Name
Seeds = Date that seeds are planted inside unless otherwise noted. 
Transplant = Date that seedlings are planted outside.

2021

Last Estimated Frost Date: April 18

Y’all, I got carried away with seeds this year… Just saying… WOW!

Missouri 6b

Plant | Seeds | Transplant

Spring:

Artichoke | March 8 |
Amaranthus (Autumn’s Touch) | March 9 |
Amaranthus (Perfecta) | March 9 |
Asclepias (Bloodflower) | March 8 |
Aster (Crego Mixed Colors) | March 29 |
Aster (Starlight Formula Mix) | March 8 |
Bachelor’s Button (Classic Artistic Mix) | April 6 |
Bachelor’s Button (Double Mixed Colors | March 10 |
Basil (African Nunum) | March 9 |
Basil (Dark Opal) | March 9 |
Basil (Genovese) | March 9 |
Basil (Large Leaf Italian) | March 9 |
Basil (Lemon) | March 9 |
Basil (Sweet) | March 9 |
Basil (Sweet Italian) | March 9 |
Basil (Valentino) | March 9 |
Begonia (Viking Red on Chocolate) | March 8 |
Black-eyed Susan | April 6 |

Broccoli (Calabrese) | April 6 |
Broccoli (Rapini) | April 6|
Broccoli (Waltham 29) | April 6 |
Cantaloupe | April 6 |
Carrots (from Atwoods) | April 7 |
Carrots (From Amazon) | April 7 |
Celosia (Dracula) | March 9 |
Chives (Baker Creek) | March 8 |
Chives (NK Lawn & Garden) | March 8 |

Cilantro (Coriander) | April 6 |
Citronella | April 6 |
Coleus (Wizard Mix) | February 18 |
Cornflower (Blue Dwarf) | April 6 |
Cosmos (Daydream) | March 29 |
Digitalis (Excelsior Mix) | March 10 |
Digitalis (Strawberry) | March 10 |
Eggplant | April 6 |
Evening Primrose | April 6 |
Foxglove (Mixed Color Digitalis) | March 29 |
Garlic (I know I planted this late!!) | March 2 |
Habanero Pepper | March 29 |

Hollyhock (Summer Carnival, Mixed Colors) | April 6 |
Johnny Jump Up (Viola/Helen Mount) | April 6 |
Lavender | March 8 |
Leeks | March 9 | April 7
Lupine (Pixie Delight Dwarf) | March 29 |
Lupine (Russel) | March 29 |
Marigold (Jolly Jester) | March 29 |
Marigold (Orange Hawaii) |March 29 |
Marigold (Queen Sophia) | March 29 |
Marigold (Sparky Mixed Colors) | March 29 |
Mint | April 6 |
Mixed Seashell | April 6 |
Nasturtium (Orchid Cream) | March 29 |
Nasturtium (Purple Emperor) | March 29 |
Nemophila ( Five Spot) | April 6 |
Onion | (Sets) March 7 
Onions (Yellow Sweet Spanish) | March 8 |
Oregano (Baker Creek) | March 8 |
Oregano (NK Lawn & Garden) | March 8 |

Ornamental Grass (Pampas) | April 6 |
Pansy (Black King) | March 29 |
Pansy (Brush Strokes Viola) | March 29 |

Parsley (Dark Green Italian Plain Leaf) | February 14 |
Parsley (Moss Curled) | March 8 |
Pepper (Craig’s Grande Jalapeño | February 14 |
Pepper (Orange Bell) | February 14 |
Pepper (Poblano) | February 14 |
Pepper (Rainbow) | March 29 | 
Pepper (Zulu) | February 14 |
Petunia (Sparkler) | March 8
Phlox (Cherry Caramel) | April 6 |
Phlox (Sugar Stars) | April 6 |
Poppy (Amazing Grey) | April 6 |
Poppy (Black Swan) | April 6 |
Poppy (Great Red) | April 6 |
Poppy (Lady Bird) | April 6 | 
Poppy (Park’s Black Peony) | April 6 |
Purple Coneflower | April 6 |
Pumpkins (90-100#) | April 6 |
Pumpkins (129#) | April 6 |
Pumpkins (Small Decorative) | April 6 |
Ratibida (Prairie Coneflower) | April 6 |
Rosemary | March 8 |
Rudbeckia (Marmalade) | April 6 |
Sage (Livingston) | April 6 |
Salvia (Sirius Blue Sage) | February 14 |
Stocks (Anytime Mix) | April 6 |
Sweet William (Singl Mixed Color) | April 6 |
Thyme | April 6 |
Tomatillo | February 18 |
Tomato (Beefsteak) | April 6 |
Tomato (Chocolate Stripes) | February 18 |
Tomato (Green Zebra) | February 18 |
Tomato (Italian Heirloom) | February 18
Tomato (Red Zebra) | February 18 |
Tomato (Roma) | February 14 |
Tomato (Roma) | February 18 |
Tomato (Martino’s Roma) | February 14 |
Tomato (San Marzano) | February 14 | 
Wildflower (Perennial Mix) | April 5 

Summer:

Cherry Tomatoes | April 10  |  May 16
San Marzano Tomatoes | April 10  |  May 16
Bell Peppers | April 10  |  May 16
Highlander Peppers  | April 10  |  May 16
Marigolds | April 10  |  May 16
Potatoes | May 2 (directly in ground)
Cucumbers | May 31 (directly in ground)
Carrots | May 31 (directly in ground)
Microgreens | May 31 (directly in ground)

Fall:

Broccoli   |   August 21 | October 11
Kale   |    August 21 | October 11
Onions   |    August 21 | October 11
Brussels Sprouts    |    August 21 | October 11
Garlic | TBA

2020

Spring:
Artichoke | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Basil | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Beans | April 25 (Directly in-ground)
Broccoli   |   March 30 (Directly in-ground) (Didn’t sprout) | April 21 (in trays) (didn’t sprout)
Brussels Sprouts | March 30 (Directly in-ground) (Didn’t sprout) | April 17 (in trays, 2nd attempt) 
Carrots | March 30 (directly in-ground) | April 17 (in trays, don’t do this, but 2nd attempt) | April 25 (directly in-ground 3rd attempt)
Cauliflower | March 30 | (Directly in-ground) (Didn’t sprout) | April 21 (in trays) (didn’t sprout)
Cilantro | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Corn, Peaches & Cream | April 25 (Directly in-ground)
Cucumbers | April 21 | June 4
Okra | April 21 | June 4
Onions | April 25 (from starts) (directly in-ground)
Parsley | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Pumpkins | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Rosemary | April 17 | Didn’t sprout
Yellow Squash | April 21 | June 4
Zucchini | April 21 | Didn’t sprout

Summer:
Bell Peppers | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Corn, Incredible | June 3 (directly in-ground)
Marigolds | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Potatoes | June 4
Tomatoes, Cherry | June 4 (store-bought starts)
Tomatoes, Solar Flair | June 4 (store-bought starts)

Fall:
Green Beans | August 12 (Directly in-ground)

Fresh Pumpkin Butter (made with homegrown Pumpkins)

This past weekend we had our annual Trails for Kids fundraising ride. We had to postpone it a little bit… because we all know there’s this Pandemic thing going on. Honestly, I think it was a good time. In April we’re always fighting rain. Now, if you think about September… you could fight fall rains, but you also have a little warmer temps… so who knows. It’s kind of hit and miss on both occasions. We actually discussed that during our follow-up board meeting.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves… first things first… a few weeks ago my I had to harvest my pumpkins early because of squash bugs. They were sitting in my wagon behind my house waiting for me to do something with them.

Jump forward a couple of weeks… I’ve now made some pumpkin purée, but I still have pumpkins running out of my tookus. That’s even with sitting a few up on the front porch for fall decór. And don’t read that wrong, I was extremely excited that I could grow pumpkins!! But my thought is, I don’t want them going to waste.

I was having conversations with my friend Jody on what we were each bringing to the bake sale at the Trails for Kids auction. She mentioned her dad was making biscuits for her to donate. She wasn’t sure if they’d be plain or cheesy/garlicky, but if they were plain, she was going to try and convince him to make Apple Butter. I mentioned since it was fall, she should also throw in some pumpkin butter. She laughed and said she a) didn’t have any, b) didn’t know how to make any, and c) didn’t have time to learn.

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Pumpkin Purée

Let’s make Pumpkin Purée from the fantastic pumpkins you grew in your garden! You didn’t spend all summer growing pumpkins for nothing, after all. Oh, I guess… you can use them for Fall/Halloween decorations… but you should probably put up a few just because, right? Well today, I’m going to show you how!

Pumpkin Purée

1.Start with the pumpkins. Now, my pumpkins here are a little smaller than they should be, but sometimes you have to harvest pumpkins early. That was the case here. These pumpkins weighed in between 4 and 6 pounds. Wash them off. While you will remove the outer shells, it is best to clean off the excess soil. Preheat oven to 375˚F.

2. Make sure you have a sharp knife to be able to slice the pumpkins in half. You’ll also want a spoon, olive oil, and salt. Plus, go ahead and prepare your pans. Get a large jelly roll pan (half sheet) and line with parchment paper. The parchment paper helps with cleanup later. (more…)

Pumpkins

As the summer draws to a close and fall takes over, it’s finally time to harvest your summer’s hard work in the shape of a pumpkin. I have spent a lot of time this summer researching pumpkins. This is the first year I’ve tried to grow pumpkins. In the past, I’ve dumped pumpkin seeds in a fence row and had voluntary pumpkins grow, but now is time to learn about pumpkins.

I planted 2 types of pumpkins this summer. 

The first was from seed.

When Jody was here helping plant marigolds and my Blackberry Bush, we also planted pumpkin seeds. In the past, I’ve had good luck just throwing pumpkin guts away in the fall after carving jack-o-lanterns. They wind up in a fence row. Come next spring/summer plants start growing. But a pumpkin is 90% water and if you don’t water them in a dry summer, they won’t survive.

The second type of pumpkin was a store-bought plant. I bought it at the local farm store. It was a Bonnie Plant – Pumpkin Heirloom Jack-O-Lantern. (more…)

How to Get Rid of Squash Bugs

Squash bugs are enough to drive you crazy. You walk out and your garden is growing just fine one minute, and the next there is a crapton of some weird bugs that will drive you mad. Squash bugs seem to appear out of nowhere. One minute nothing and the next BAM! I have no clue where they came from or how they found me, but they did. Stupid bugs.

What are Squash Bugs?

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How to Freeze Okra

When I decided to start and plant my garden this spring, I asked my family what they would like to see planted. I mean, after all, they were going to be reaping the rewards too. At that point in the day, I think that we were eating lunch (or dinner… but we were definitely eating) and the oldest and my husband had fried okra. They both immediately chimed in and said, Okra.

Okra… um… okay. I know nothing about making fried okra, but okay, I’ll figure it out. Oh wait, you mean you can eat okra that isn’t fried. Okay, I’ll learn about that too while I’m at it. Because, why not. (more…)

How to Can Peaches

It is that time of the year… Peaches!! They are in full supply. I love peaches. They are so great to eat as is or you can can them for later. Like the dead of winter when you are wanting that zesty, sweet taste of summer. There are 2 ways to can, we’ll get to that.

I would like to start some of my own Peach trees, but until that happens, I know where there is a stand on the side of the road ready to sell! And that’s just where I went on Sunday. I also bought a watermelon and my mom a cantaloupe. I don’t like cantaloupe but she does.

A fun side note about the word syrup… Grandma had me reading in her Joy of Cooking Cookbook about freezing peaches. We were looking for sugar measurements. Anyway, they kept spelling syrup, sirup. That spelling was driving me nuts. I wish I was still in Grad School so that I had access to the Oxford English Dictionary to look up the spelling history.

Also, side note: if you are canning anything… canning lids and jars for that matter are difficult to find right now. Supposedly it isn’t a shortage, but more so everyone was home and raising a garden. All canning is happening RIGHT. NOW.

Peaches

Grandma told me that she read that 1 bushel of peaches should produce 15, 20, 30 jars of peaches. It’s so funny that 3 different things she read said 3 different things. Either way, we were well on our way to that. We had 3/4 of a bushel of peaches. We got 13-quart jars and 2 half-full gallon bags for freezing.

Not all the peaches were ready for canning, so grandma’s tip is to lay them out on plastic overnight. The next day most all of them were ready to go. (more…)

Sweet Corn vs Field Corn

Isn’t all corn the same? Well, no. Sweet corn is the type of corn that you grow in your personal garden or you buy at the store, Farmer’s Market, etc. Field Corn is what you’ll see in fields as you drive through Nebraska (or Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, etc). You’ll see the Farmer’s out in the field planting with a big planter and harvesting with a combine. The other big difference is when it is peak harvest time.

Similarities and Differences

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Planting Blackberry Bushes

This poor blackberry bush kind of became a laughing stock at my house. Why? Well… because, here we are in June and I bought it at the end of April. So what? Well… I just planted it yesterday.

I know, I know. It’s been living in the pot that I bought it in. That’s not a good thing really. The root system gets used to that size and then the plant could be stunted. But I wasn’t really sure where to plant it.

Jody came over yesterday and she and I went around planting stuff. We planted Marigolds in the garden as well as a couple of pumpkin plants. And… we planted the infamous Blackberry Bush. FINALLY. 

Some things to keep in mind when planting a Blackberry Bush: (more…)

Garden #2

Yes, you read that title correctly. I started my first garden in March. It sounded like a good thing… but garden number 2. Now I think I’ve seriously lost my mind. So here’s how we got to this point…

When I finally decided to start a garden, I had 2 places chosen. One was where the original garden went in and the second was this spot.

There were pros and cons to each spot that was chosen.

Original garden

  • Pros
    • Closer to the house
    • Closer to water
  • Cons
    • Less potential space
    • Trees in the yard to contend with

This garden area

  • Pros
    • Larger area
    • Very few items to compete with (i.e. trees)
    • Lots of sunlight
  • Cons
    • Harder to get water to 

Because of this… the other area was chosen. Then, I started to have “issues” getting my corn to grow (or so I thought at the time). So yesterday morning I decided I was going to start a garden in the second location

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