How to Read Your Planting Calendar
4 min read · Updated July 6, 2026
The calendar shows every plant across your gardens on one timeline. Use the garden selector to scope it to a single garden or all of them.
The bars
Each planting renders as a sequence of colored bars:
| Bar | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Gold | Start seeds indoors |
| Yellow-green | Start hardening off |
| Green | Transplant (or plant) outdoors |
| Dark green | Direct sow outdoors |
| Orange | Harvest |
Hover any bar for its exact dates. A solid vertical line marks today; click anywhere on the timeline to drop a dashed cursor line on a date.
Rescheduling by dragging
The round marker on each row is the transplant (or direct-sow) date. Drag it left or right to reschedule — the faded bar behind it shows the catalog's recommended window, and the indoor-sowing and hardening-off bars recalculate as you move it.
A small warning icon on the marker means the date is too late for the crop to mature before season's end.
Frost lines
Dotted vertical lines mark your frost dates — light blue for last spring frost, dark blue for first fall frost. They come from your ZIP code's NOAA data; see How GardenDraft sets your frost dates.
Succession suggestions
With Suggest succession planting turned on (in garden settings), eligible rows show a "+N sows fit" pill — click it to schedule repeat sowings for the rest of the season, with an undo if you change your mind. Chained sowings appear as numbered markers ("2/5").
To change how a crop's dates are computed, see How to adjust planting timing.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I change a planting date on the calendar?
- Yes — drag the round transplant (or direct-sow) marker left or right. The faded bar behind it shows the catalog's recommended window, and the indoor sowing and hardening-off bars move with it.