Planting vegetables by the calendar means planting your new vegetable plants or seeds outside at the time recommended by a planting calendar according to where you live. For a planting calendar to be effective, it must be appropriate for your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone. Most local county agricultural extension offices in the United States offer a planting calendar specific to your county.
Prepare your garden area by removing weeds and adding compost and fertilizer.
Obtain a planting calendar from your local county extension office to find the appropriate planting dates for the vegetables you are planting. Look in the phone book under county offices and then under extension office.
Plant vegetable plants in the garden during appropriate planting period according to planting calendar. For example, in the southern United States, broccoli and lettuce are planted in the fall. In the northern United States, they can be planted during the summer months.