Seasonal Planting Guide

Provides monthly, zone-specific planting schedules, plant details, and custom entries to help gardeners plan seasonal crops year-round.

Security Scan

The skill's code, instructions, and storage needs line up with a local, offline gardening calendar tool and it does not request credentials or installs — but the bundled script was truncated so full behavior couldn't be confirmed.

Purpose & Capability

Name and usage describe a planting calendar and the provided Python script plus SKILL.md usage examples match that purpose (query, show, add, export). The DB path (~/.openclaw/workspace/planting_calendar.json) is consistent with a local per-user calendar.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md instructs the agent to run the local Python tool and to export to allowed locations. The instructions focus on garden planning tasks and do not ask the agent to read unrelated system files or environment variables. Note: the skill writes/reads a JSON file in the user's home directory (expected for this purpose).

Install Mechanism

No install spec (instruction-only) and the script uses standard Python libraries; no external downloads or package installs are requested.

Credentials

No environment variables, credentials, or external config paths are required. The only resource access is the per-user JSON DB under ~/.openclaw/workspace/, which matches the skill's stated persistence.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill only requests normal per-user storage. It does create and write its own file under the user's home directory, which is appropriate for a local calendar tool.

Scan Findings in Context

[pre-scan-none-detected] expected: The static pre-scan reported no injection signals or suspicious patterns. That aligns with the skill being a simple local Python utility.

Assessment

This skill appears to be a straightforward, local gardening calendar: it reads/writes a JSON DB at ~/.openclaw/workspace/planting_calendar.json and restricts exports to home/tmp/. Before installing, review the full scripts/seasonal_planting.py source (the provided excerpt was truncated) to verify there are no network calls, hidden endpoints, or obfuscated code. If you want extra caution, run it in a sandbox or inspect the export/path-validation code to confirm it enforces the allowed directories. If the full script contains unexpected networking, credential access, or writes outside the stated paths, do not install.

Plan your garden with region-specific planting schedules for every month.

Quick Start

See what to plant this month

seasonal_planting.py now --zone "8a"

Get planting calendar for a month

seasonal_planting.py month --month "april" --zone "6b"

Get full year calendar

seasonal_planting.py year --zone "7a"

Search for plants

seasonal_planting.py search "tomato"

Get plant details

seasonal_planting.py show "tomato"

Add custom plants to your calendar

seasonal_planting.py add "tomato" --planting "april,may" --zone "6a,6b,7a,7b,8a,8b"

Usage Patterns

For new gardeners

# Check what to plant right now
seasonal_planting.py now --zone "7a"

# Get full calendar for your zone
seasonal_planting.py year --zone "7a"

# Learn about specific plants
seasonal_planting.py show "lettuce"
seasonal_planting.py show "tomato"

For experienced gardeners planning ahead

# Check what to plant next month
seasonal_planting.py month --month "may" --zone "7a"

# Plan succession planting
seasonal_planting.py month --month "april" --zone "7a"
seasonal_planting.py month --month "june" --zone "7a"

# Add your local varieties
seasonal_planting.py add "local-corn" --planting "may,june" --zone "7a" --notes "Silver Queen variety"

For small farmers

# Get full production schedule
seasonal_planting.py year --zone "6b" > planting-schedule.txt

# Plan staggered planting
seasonal_planting.py month --month "march" --zone "6b"  # Early crops
seasonal_planting.py month --month "april" --zone "6b"  # Main crops
seasonal_planting.py month --month "may" --zone "6b"   # Late crops

# Export calendar for team
seasonal_planting.py year --zone "6b" --export "~/farm-calendar.md"

For container/indoor gardeners

# Search for container-friendly plants
seasonal_planting.py search "lettuce"
seasonal_planting.py search "herbs"

# Check planting windows
seasonal_planting.py show "basil"

Planting Zones

Understanding your USDA Hardiness Zone helps plan correctly:

Zone	Temperature	Typical Plants
3-4	Very cold	Kale, peas, lettuce, carrots
5-6	Cold	Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash
7-8	Mild	Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn
9-10	Warm	Year-round growing, tropical plants
11+	Tropical	Everything year-round

How to find your zone:

• Search online for "USDA hardiness zone [your city]"
• Most garden resources reference zones
• Use neighboring zone if unsure

Plant Categories

Cool-Season Crops

Plant in spring (March-May) or fall (August-October):

• Lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula
• Peas, radishes, carrots
• Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts

Warm-Season Crops

Plant after last frost (May-June):

• Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant
• Beans, corn, squash
• Cucumbers, melons, zucchini

Herbs (Year-Round or Seasonal)

• Perennial: Rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, chives
• Annual: Basil, cilantro, dill, parsley

Root Vegetables

• Early spring: Radishes, turnips
• Mid-season: Carrots, beets, parsnips
• Late season: Garlic (fall planting), onions

Examples

Spring garden planning

# Zone 6b - April
seasonal_planting.py month --month "april" --zone "6b"
# Output: tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, cucumbers

# Zone 8a - April
seasonal_planting.py month --month "april" --zone "8a"
# Output: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, corn, okra (earlier start)

# Plan succession planting
seasonal_planting.py month --month "april" --zone "6b"
seasonal_planting.py month --month "may" --zone "6b"
seasonal_planting.py month --month "june" --zone "6b"

Fall garden planning

# Zone 7a - August (fall crops)
seasonal_planting.py month --month "august" --zone "7a"
# Output: lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, peas

# Zone 5a - September (fall crops)
seasonal_planting.py month --month "september" --zone "5a"
# Output: lettuce, spinach, kale, garlic (for overwintering)

Year-round planning

# Get full calendar for your zone
seasonal_planting.py year --zone "7a"

# Export for reference
seasonal_planting.py year --zone "7a" --export "~/garden-calendar-2026.md"

Adding local knowledge

# Add your region-specific advice
seasonal_planting.py add "corn" --planting "may,june" --zone "7a" \
  --notes "Silver Queen variety best, plant in blocks for pollination"

# Add heirloom varieties
seasonal_planting.py add "heirloom-tomato" --planting "april,may" --zone "6b,7a" \
  --notes "Brandywine, Cherokee Purple - start indoors 6 weeks before last frost"

Search Features

• Find plants by name or category
• See planting windows for each plant
• Get zone-specific recommendations
• Find similar plants (e.g., "tomato" finds all tomato varieties)

Security

Path Validation

The export function validates output paths to prevent malicious writes:

• ✅ Allowed: ~/.openclaw/workspace/, /tmp/, and home directory
• ❌ Blocked: System paths (/etc/, /usr/, /var/, etc.)
• ❌ Blocked: Sensitive dotfiles (~/.bashrc, ~/.ssh, etc.)

Data Storage

• Planting calendar stored in: ~/.openclaw/workspace/planting_calendar.json
• Custom plants tracked alongside built-in database
• JSON format makes it easy to backup or extend
• Zone-specific recommendations for each plant

Best Practices

1. Know your zone - Determines planting windows
2. Watch last frost date - Zone is guide, local weather matters
3. Plan succession planting - Stagger plantings for continuous harvest
4. Use plant-tracker - Combine with plant-tracker skill for full garden management
5. Add local knowledge - Customize calendar with regional varieties
6. Export for reference - Keep planting schedule handy

Companion Planting Tips

Combine with companion planting for better results:

Plant	Good Companions	Avoid
Tomatoes	Basil, carrots, onions	Cabbage, potatoes
Lettuce	Carrots, radishes, strawberries	Parsley
Beans	Corn, carrots, cucumbers	Onions, garlic
Peppers	Basil, onions, carrots	Fennel, kohlrabi

Related Skills

• plant-tracker - Manage individual plants, care schedules, harvest tracking
• garden-layout-planner (planned) - Design your garden layout

Use together for complete garden management!