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When to plant

When to plant it, wherever you are

Seed packets say “after danger of frost has passed,” which is true and useless. These pages give the actual dates for 541 U.S. locations, worked out from each one's own frost dates — observed at a NOAA weather station where there is one, estimated from the climate grid where there is not — plus the moon days inside each window, if you garden that way.

Hardy — goes out weeks before the last frost

Onion (from sets/transplants) Garlic Leek Shallot Radish Turnip Parsnip Spinach Kale Collards Cabbage Broccoli Brussels Sprouts Kohlrabi Peas (English/snap) Asparagus (crowns) Strawberry (crowns) Chives Oregano Thyme Sage

Semi-hardy — takes a light frost

Potato Carrot Beet Lettuce (leaf) Lettuce (head) Swiss Chard Cauliflower Cilantro Parsley Dill

Tender — frost kills it, wait for the date

Cucumber Zucchini / Summer Squash Sweet Corn Green Beans (bush) Pole Beans Rosemary

Very tender — wants warm soil, not just no frost

Tomato Pepper Eggplant Tomatillo Winter Squash Pumpkin Watermelon Cantaloupe / Muskmelon Dry Beans Okra Sweet Potato Basil
Bottom line: cold tolerance decides the date, not the crop's reputation. A hardy crop wants to go out while it is still chilly; a very tender one waits for warm soil, which lags warm air by a couple of weeks and is the reason so many tomatoes sulk in May.

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Or start from where you live

Every crop above is also collected per location — one page per city, state and USDA zone, with the whole year's planting laid out in order.

Browse planting calendars by location →