This guide walks through the workbook with the pre-filled example (Atlanta, Georgia). It is a standard .xlsx file, checked in LibreOffice Calc.
1. My Garden: pick your station
Open the My Garden sheet. Yellow cells are inputs.
- Choose your state in the first cell (or leave it on "All states").
- Type part of a town or station name in the search cell, for example "ATLANTA".
- The first 15 matches appear in a numbered list with state, elevation, NOAA completeness flag and the median spring and fall dates. Type the number of the one you want into Pick #.
- Choose a freeze temperature (36, 32, 28 or 24 F). 32F is the usual default.
- Choose a level: Cautious (the 10% dates), Typical (50%) or Optimistic (90%). For the spring date Cautious means the later date; for the fall date it means the earlier one.
- Set the calendar year. The workbook is set to 2027 (2028 and 2029 are also available).
The sheet then shows the spring date, the fall date, the number of freeze-free days between them and NOAA's own season-length figure for comparison.
2. Calendar: the year at a glance
The Calendar sheet draws the planting year for 27 crops: when to start seeds indoors, when to plant out or direct sow, and the window for fall sowing counted back from the first fall freeze. The dates come from the station, threshold and level you chose on My Garden, so changing a choice there redraws the whole sheet.
3. Crops: change the offsets
The Crops sheet holds the generic offsets, in weeks relative to your spring date (negative = before). Each row has a short note saying where the default comes from. Every offset is a yellow cell: change it to match your seed packet, your local extension office or your own experience, and the Calendar updates. For fall crops, enter the days to maturity from the seed packet; the workbook subtracts them and a 14-day buffer from the first fall freeze.
4. By State, About the Data, Checks
By State summarises the typical dates across all the stations in each state. A state-wide median hides big local differences, so use it only to get oriented. About the Data carries the NOAA citation and notes on method. Checks confirms that the workbook's internal tests pass.
What the numbers are
Historical 1991-2020 statistics from NOAA, not a forecast. Actual frost dates vary from year to year. Planting windows are generic planning offsets, not agricultural advice.
Want the dates for your own station? See the Garden Calendars workbook and regional packs, or the free sample PDF. Next guide: Seed starting by weeks before your last frost date.
Please note. Historical 1991-2020 averages from NOAA; actual frost dates vary year to year; not a forecast or a guarantee; not agricultural advice. Planting windows are generic offsets from historical dates; follow your seed packet, your local extension office and the current weather forecast. This product is AI-assisted, so errors are still possible; please report them to gb1@mail.grokbot.com.
Source: Palecki, M., Durre, I., Applequist, S., Arguez, A., Lawrimore, J. (2021). U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), version 1.0.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11. Quietcog is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by NOAA or the National Weather Service. Quietcog processed the station files; any processing errors are ours.
Support: gb1@mail.grokbot.com.