New England garden and homestead sources directory
Official and primary sources for growing calendars, soil tests, seeds, food preservation and small-scale livestock, mostly for the six New England states, plus a short list of national sources. Every entry links to the page it comes from and shows when we last read it (most entries 2026-10-17; changed or new entries later) and when its link was last checked (most on 2026-10-20). Pages change; check the source.
Listings are for information only. Listings are not endorsements, any commission or paid relationship will be disclosed where it appears, and this is not a complete list. Preservation entries point to tested methods only: read the safety notes.
Extension offices, planting guides and helplines
University Cooperative Extension offices are the research-based public source for home gardening in each state. Planting dates below are guides, not guarantees.
- NH UNH Extension: When to Plant Your Vegetable Garden
Per-crop weeks-before/after-last-frost rules. This site's schedule tables use these rules. States that for central NH, Memorial Day is a conservative last-frost estimate.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension Yard & Garden Education Center and Infoline
UNH Extension's home gardening help page: Infoline phone 1-877-EXT-GROW (877-398-4769), listed hours Mon-Fri 9:00-1:00 (Education Center 8:30-4:00), and a web question form; UNH says it tries to answer within three business days.
Last verified 2026-10-18 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Fall Vegetable Gardening
Explains planning fall crops around the first freeze (32°F or less) and notes many fall vegetables tolerate mild frosts down to about 28°F.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - MA UMass Extension (CAFE): Vegetable Planting Chart
Chart for when to sow seeds or set out seedlings; the page lists it as last updated Oct 26, 2016.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - MA UMass Extension: Starting Seeds Indoors
Says that in many areas of Massachusetts the last frost is usually around May 15 and gives weeks-before-transplanting guidance by crop.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME UMaine Extension: Planting Chart for the Home Vegetable Garden
Earliest and latest safe planting dates for central Maine; says to plant 10-14 days earlier on the coast and 10-14 days later in northern Maine. Checked 2026-10-20: UMaine's link now redirects to an address its site marks as "trashed"; the chart was still shown there, but the page may move or be removed.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME MOFGA: Seed Planting Calendar
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association calendar for starting, sowing and transplanting; based on USDA Zone 5 and described as approximate.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - VT UVM Extension: Community Horticulture / Master Gardener program
UVM Extension's horticulture and Master Gardener program page. UVM's soil lab page says home soil-test reports are handled through the Master Gardener Helpline.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - CT UConn Home & Garden Education Center
UConn's home gardening help center. UConn's soil-test form lists (877) 486-6271 for plant and garden questions.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - RI URI Gardening & Environmental Hotline
Hotline from URI Cooperative Extension staffed by trained Master Gardeners, per URI's page.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH NHPR Homegrown NH: How to know when to start seeds indoors (Feb 6, 2026)
Public-radio gardening segment; says last frost in Zone 5 (where most NH residents live) is typically late May and to watch long-range forecasts.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - RI URI Cooperative Extension: Rhode Island Planting Calendar for Fruits and Vegetables (PDF)
Two-page chart of when to start seeds indoors, sow directly or transplant each crop from February to October; says its dates assume a final frost of May 15 and a first frost of October 15, and to allow for local microclimates. Linked from URI's Gardening Resources page.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - VT UVM Extension: It's Time to Plant Garlic! (Nov 3, 2023)
Extension Master Gardener article; says mid-October to late November is garlic planting time in Vermont depending on the weather, suggests a soil pH of 6-7, and recommends straw mulch to limit winter heaving.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Cover Cropping for the Home Garden
Fact sheet on choosing, sowing and ending cover crops in New Hampshire gardens; says winter rye can be sown as late as early October in southern NH, while hairy vetch and clovers should go in by September 15.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - CT UConn Home Garden Education Office: October Gardening Tips
Month-by-month Connecticut checklist. For vegetables it says to plant garlic from October 1 to November 15, test soil in fall, and bag diseased tomato and other plant debris for the trash rather than composting it.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - MA UMass Extension (CAFE): Fall in the Vegetable Garden
End-of-season chores: composting crop residue, seeding cover crops (by late September to mid-October, per the sheet) and planning next year. The page lists itself as last updated April 4, 2012.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME UMaine Extension: Maine Home Garden News, September 2026
Fall garden column: pull spent annuals and keep diseased tomato foliage out of the compost, leave some stems and leaf litter for overwintering beneficial insects, spread compost or leaves on empty beds, and send a soil test before spring.
Last verified 2026-10-20 · link check 200, 2026-10-20
National sources that apply in any state
This site's frost data covers only the six New England states. These federal and nationwide sources are useful anywhere in the U.S. and are listed here as pointers, not as part of our station data.
- National USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023)
Interactive map by ZIP code or click. Zones are based on average annual extreme minimum winter temperature in 10°F zones and 5°F half zones, so they help with perennials, not with last or first frost dates.
Last verified 2026-10-18 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - National USDA NIFA: Land-grant University Website Directory
Federal list of the land-grant universities, the public network that runs each state's Cooperative Extension; use it to find your own state's university for local planting guides. Page lists itself as last updated April 23, 2025. Could not be re-checked 2026-10-20 (the site did not respond to our checker); page last read 2026-10-18.
Last verified 2026-10-18 · not re-checked 2026-10-20: the site did not respond to our link checker; page last read 2026-10-18 - National Ask Extension (eXtension)
National web form to ask Extension experts questions about gardening, pests, food safety and livestock.
Last verified 2026-10-18 · link check 200, 2026-10-20
Soil testing for home gardens
A university soil test tells you pH and nutrient needs before you buy amendments. Check each lab's current forms, prices and turnaround.
- MA UMass Soil and Plant Nutrient Testing Laboratory
Order form for home grounds and gardening; the lab says its Modified Morgan method and recommendations were developed for New England soils and climate.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension Soil Testing Service
Soil analysis and fertilizer recommendations for homeowners; accepts samples in person or by mail.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME University of Maine Analytical Lab and Maine Soil Testing Service
Tests soil, compost, manure, water and more for the public; samples may be mailed or dropped off in Orono.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - VT UVM Agricultural and Environmental Testing Lab
Soil and manure testing for the public; says printable forms are on its site and kits are sold at UVM Extension offices and many garden centers.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - CT UConn George Leigh Minor Plant and Soil Health Center (soil and plant samples)
UConn's public lab page for submitting plant and soil samples, with sample forms, sampling instructions, tests and pricing, and drop-off or shipping details. The old soiltesting.cahnr.uconn.edu address now redirects here.
Last verified 2026-10-18 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - RI URI Gardening Information and Soil Testing (GIST)
URI's soil testing service via events statewide or drop-off/mail-in at the Kingston campus; asks for air-dried samples from the 4-6 inch root zone.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20
Seed and supply companies based in New England
Listed for information only. This is not a ranking or endorsement, and nobody paid to be listed. Many other good sources exist.
- ME Fedco Seeds
Maine worker/consumer-owned cooperative with warehouses in Clinton, ME; says it does not knowingly sell GMOs; retail store and pickup orders at 688 Bellsqueeze Road, Clinton.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME Johnny's Selected Seeds (location source)
Seeds, tools and growing supplies; listed as based in Maine in a Beyond Pesticides seed directory brochure. Site says it is 100% employee owned.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - VT High Mowing Organic Seeds (location source)
Sells 100% certified organic seed; listed as based in Vermont in the same Beyond Pesticides brochure.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME Wood Prairie Family Farm
Family farm selling organic seed potatoes, vegetable and flower seeds; says it raises organic seed at the edge of the North Maine Woods.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME MOFGA: Order Seeds
MOFGA's page on ordering seeds, with a basic planting calendar.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - New England UConn New England Native Plants Initiative: Plant Sources
UConn's list of native plant and seed sources by state; notes local native seed is limited in New England.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20
Food preservation: tested methods only
Home canning can cause serious illness, including botulism, if done wrong. Use only current tested recipes from USDA, the National Center for Home Food Preservation, or a university Extension, and follow them exactly, including altitude adjustments.
- National National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia)
Research-based canning, freezing, drying and pickling guidance. UNH Extension names it as a source of tested recipes.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Food Preservation
Hub of fact sheets on canning, freezing, drying and storing food, and workshops.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: What to Look for When Determining the Safety of Home Canning Recipes
Advises using research-based recipes from sources no earlier than 1994, and the most recent USDA, NCHFP or Extension recipes; follow the recipe exactly and adjust for altitude.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Canning Vegetables in a Pressure Canner
States pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning low-acid vegetables and that boiling-water canners pose a real risk of botulism for them.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Canning Fruits and Tomatoes
Boiling-water canning for fruit and acidified tomatoes; says to add lemon juice or citric acid to tomatoes per tested directions and to know your elevation.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Canning Meats, Poultry & Soup
Says meat, poultry and soups are low-acid and need a pressure canner, and that UNH tests dial gauges for accuracy.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME UMaine Extension: Food Preservation
University of Maine Cooperative Extension food preservation hub.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - ME UMaine Extension: Preserving the Harvest FAQ
Frequently asked questions on preserving garden produce.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20
Small-scale livestock and backyard poultry basics
Check your town and state rules (zoning, permits, flock limits, animal-health reporting) before getting animals. This site does not give veterinary advice.
- NH UNH Extension: Backyard Livestock
Articles on backyard chickens, breeds, internal parasites, turkeys, hay and egg production.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Poultry Health & Management for the Small Flock
Fact sheet on keeping a small poultry flock healthy.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - NH UNH Extension: Producing Your Own Eggs
Guide to sources of hens and raising birds for home egg production.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - CT UConn Extension: Backyard Poultry, a Quick Look at Raising Healthy Birds
UConn publication on healthy backyard flocks.
Last verified 2026-10-17 · link check 200, 2026-10-20 - MA Mass.gov: Best Management Practices for Backyard Poultry Keepers
Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) guidance on getting birds from pullorum-tested flocks, housing, manure handling and biosecurity; says to check local bylaws and permits first. Automated checks of mass.gov are not allowed (its robots.txt refuses our checker), so this link is checked by hand only; page last read 2026-10-18.
Last verified 2026-10-18 · not re-checked 2026-10-20: this site's robots.txt refuses automated checkers, so we do not check it automatically; page last read 2026-10-18
Corrected Oct 18, 2026: updated the UNH Infoline and UConn soil-lab entries after both pages moved. Updated Oct 20, 2026: added three fall-garden Extension entries (CT, MA, ME), re-checked links, and noted the changed UMaine planting-chart address. See corrections and removal requests.