Location and Soil

Some of the most important considerations when it comes to planning any garden is the location and soil. All vegetables require full sun for at least eight hours a day, and this is particularly important during winter, when vegetables depend on sunlight for survival. Savvy gardeners amend their garden soil with quick-draining soil and hearty organic compost, to give vegetables a good source of nutrition from the start.

Spring Vegetables

Alabama offers a long summer growing season, but gardeners seek to give their plants the best chance possible by getting an early start. The first flush of spring planting should include carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard and spinach in February to March, with tomatoes, peppers, squash, radishes and leafy greens to follow in April. Most spring garden plants should wait until after the last frost, which occurs from mid-March to mid-April.

Fall Vegetables

The long Alabama growing season encourages stacked or consecutive planting, whereby gardeners plant quick crops in spring and then replant the garden at the end of summer for fall vegetables. This late planting may include beans and cabbage in July, brussel sprouts, beets and broccoli in August, and carrots, collards, onions and garlic all the way into September. All plants must be planted and established before the first frost date, which may fall in early October to early November.