A four-month garden planning system with customized growing schedules for zones 4–10—plus eight new recipes inspired by your late spring harvests.

There’s always a moment when winter finally loosens its grip. One day the garden looks unchanged, and the next, something feels different. The air softens. Snow retreats into shady corners. And beneath the mulch, life quietly resumes. Garlic shoots appear. Perennials begin to stir. Even the birds seem to know the growing season is waking up.

For gardeners, that subtle shift signals the return of possibility. Seed trays come back out. Garden notebooks reopen. Plans made in January suddenly feel real as we imagine beds filling again with green.
Yet spring gardening asks for patience as much as enthusiasm. The urge to plant everything at once is strong, but success depends on timing. Cool-season crops need a head start before summer heat arrives, while tender seedlings must wait safely past frost. And because climates differ so widely, gardeners across Zones 4 through 10 are never quite on the same schedule. While northern growers are still watching frost forecasts, southern gardeners may already be harvesting their first crops.

That’s why the 2026 Spring Garden Planning Calendar Kit was created—to help gardeners work with their local season instead of racing against it.

This updated edition provides zone-specific guidance covering the key spring gardening window from March through June. Each section breaks down what to plant, when to start seeds, and how to stay on track as conditions shift. There’s also room to record your own notes—first harvest dates, favorite varieties, or weather surprises—so each season becomes easier to plan than the last.

Because the best gardening advice often comes from your own backyard.

Spring’s pleasures, of course, don’t end at harvest time. They carry straight into the kitchen. That’s why this year’s kit also includes eight new recipes celebrating early garden flavors, from tender greens and sweet peas to fresh herbs and the first bright tastes of the warm season. These dishes are designed for those days when dinner begins with a basket and a walk through the garden.

Whether you’re growing in a handful of patio containers or managing a full backyard garden, this calendar kit acts as both guide and companion. It helps organize the busy weeks of spring while leaving plenty of space for experimentation—the new crops you try, the lessons you learn, and the unexpected successes that make gardening so rewarding.

As you plan your beds and choose seeds for the months ahead, remember that every season offers a fresh start. No two gardens—and no two springs—are ever exactly the same. And that’s part of what keeps us coming back each year.

Here’s to a productive, delicious, and deeply satisfying 2026 growing season.

Ready to get started? Let’s dig in.