Tips for planting vegetable garden in zone 6?

an old wise tale is plant after you can place your bare bottom on the dirt comfortably! I would highly advise you not to plant until the ground teperature is above 50 degrees. your seeds will not germinate until they reach the 50 degree mark. how do you know? take your kitchen thermometer (cooking thermometer and go out at like 9 AM and place it in the ground 1.5-2 inches wait about 10 minutes and check the temperature. for a newbie gardener i would also recommend purchasing your tomatoes and peppers as plants not by seed. you should be fine planting all of those that you wish to plant!

Good Luck!!

I am zone 6 and yes they will IL. zone 6. If the soil is dry enough till now and manure or fertilize. Make sure manure is not to hot. I manure in the fall. When the plumb tree blossoms plant you radish first crop. That will be next week I think at 600 foot. Cooler in the mountains so week later. They will come up in cool soil. When a oak trees leaves are the size of a mouses ear plant your seed probably 3 weeks from now were I live. beans and such. Tomatoes take a lot of time and peppers so buy them and plant in 5 weeks should be past frost time then. Buy as mature of tomato,pepper as you can I try to have them by 4th of July. Some earlier but you are buying yours I have a green house. You can replant radish 4 times in zone 6 cool weather cooler radish. I have some now in the greenhouse. Head lettuce in zone 6 to form a good head put a hair net on it to hold the head tight. Or plant leaf lettuce or greens. Swiss Chard or collards. Spinach but summer heat does it in. But then you can plant a cabbage there for a late cabbage or such. Onions like light sandy soil. Or raised beds of light soil. Spread them out I have some in box's in the greenhouse I will set the whole box out at the edge of the garden and plant more in the garden. So they are not all picked at the same time.

I found this link for you

http://extension.psu.edu/vegetable-fruit/productio...

There are several other publications put out by Penn State (your land grant university) including a vegetable planting guide.

These publications will help you with plant selection suitable to your region, planting dates, plant spacing and days until harvest.

Don't get overly ambitious. Start small. Do a good job on bed prep. It is a good idea to have a soil test done through your county extension office. Soil quality can greatly impact the success of your garden. Consider water - you may want to put in soaker hoses.

This is another good site.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

If you like the concept get the book. This is an excellent system for both new and experienced gardeners.

I have been using this system for many years with a great deal of success. You would be amazed at how much you can grow in a 4'x4' box.

Hope this helps.

Happy gardening

BTW - consider composting. You can find info on the Penn State site or through your County Agent's office.

the best time is when the danger of frost has passed. getting starts would be better than starting from seed. anything you see at your local nursery or home store will grow where you are.

Are you by Grantham Pa.?