Massachusetts has a diverse climate and so the vegetables you choose to grow there may vary depending on where you live. Frost dates throughout the state can vary more than a month, influencing the length of the growing season. Certain vegetables grow well in all of Massachusetts, however, thriving on the soil conditions and climate that the state provides.
Corn is one of the major vegetables grown in Massachusetts and throughout New England. Both sweet corn and ornamental corn grows well in the soil. Wait until after the last frost date, when the soil temperature is above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In northern Massachusetts, this may not be until mid-May, while you may plant corn seeds in the southern part of Massachusetts in late April. Choose different types of corn with a variety of maturation dates to harvest throughout the late summer and early fall.
Beans and Peas
All beans grow well in Massachusetts except lima beans. Plant beans in the soil after the temperature exceeds 60 F. Rotate your bean crop every year to avoid diseases that stay in the soil over the winter. You can plant snap peas, the most popular pea crop grown in Massachusetts, as soon as the soil is tillable.
Potatoes grow especially well in Massachusetts, surviving in a wide range of soils. They do best, however, in well-drained loamy or sandy soil. Sweet potatoes need a longer and warmer growing season and do not do as well in the state. Carrots, as a cool-season crop, do well. You might want to build a mound before planting the carrots to help loosen the soil, but after this initial time investment the carrots need little care.
Lettuce and Spinach
These vegetables can germinate with soil temperatures as low as 32 F. The cool early spring temperatures of Massachusetts provide the perfect climate for seed germination and young plant maturation. Spinach choices include smooth-leaf and savoy. Lettuce varieties include iceberg, butterhead, romaine and leaf lettuce. You can plant lettuce transplants from April to Aug. 1 and harvest them throughout the fall for the highest yield.