What are Annual Plants?
Annuals plants go from a planted seed to producing a seed within a year. They complete their whole lifecycle in one year or season. Annual plants make up most of our vegetable crops, and many of them can be harvested within 2 to 3 months after sowing. (Bi-annual plants are simliar to annuals but they may live up to two years before producing seeds and coming to the end of their lives.) Annuals are generally classified as a warm season crop or a cool season crop. • Cool season crops thrive in cool areas or during cooler months of the year. • Generally they are the root, stem, leaf, and flower bud crops. • Many of these crops can overwinter if planted in the fall or can be planted in early spring for a late spring harvest. • Warm season crops thrive in warm areas or during the hotter months of the year. • Generally they are the fruit and seed crops. • They are often planting in the mid-late spring summer. Gardeners use planting charts (like pages 65-68 of CSGN’s Gardens For Learning) or
