Plant by your frost dates, not the seed packet. Seed starting, vegetable timing and fall planting for your ZIP code.
Set your ZIP to see dates for your area.
Vegetables
When to plant tomatoes, onions, potatoes, garlic and fall crops, counted from your own frost dates. 5 guides
Seed starting
When to start seeds indoors, counted back from your last spring frost, and when to winter sow cold-loving… 2 guides
Flowers & bulbs
When to plant tulips, daffodils and wildflower seeds, from night temperatures and frost dates for your ZIP code. 3 guides
Typical timing for most of the US, starting this month. Set your ZIP and the guides shift every date to your frost dates.
In season now Plant onion sets and transplants in the four weeks before your last frost, or in fall and winter in the Deep South. Dates for 27 cities and the onion type for every ZIP code's latitude.
In season now Most native wildflower seed does best sown in late fall or winter. Dormant-sowing dates for 24 US cities from NOAA hard-freeze normals, two common rules tested, and published calendars from Minnesota to Texas and Florida.
In season now Plant daffodils from when fall nights reach 50°F until your first frost, before the 28°F hard freeze. Dates for 24 cities, checked against nine extension calendars, plus Southern types that need no chilling.
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Plant onion sets and transplants in the four weeks before your last frost, or in fall and winter in the Deep South. Dates for 27 cities and the onion type for every ZIP code's latitude.
Most native wildflower seed does best sown in late fall or winter. Dormant-sowing dates for 24 US cities from NOAA hard-freeze normals, two common rules tested, and published calendars from Minnesota to Texas and Florida.
Sow seeds outdoors in covered jugs in winter and let the cold break their dormancy. Extension timing by seed type, plus the last start date for 30- and 60-day seeds in 22 cities from NOAA normals.
Plant daffodils from when fall nights reach 50°F until your first frost, before the 28°F hard freeze. Dates for 24 cities, checked against nine extension calendars, plus Southern types that need no chilling.
Count back from your first fall frost: days to maturity plus a 14-day fall factor, and 14 more for tender crops. Last planting dates for 20 US cities from NOAA normals.
Plant potatoes two to four weeks before your last frost, once 4-inch soil reaches 45°F. Dates for 22 cities from NOAA normals and 12 springs of measured soil data.
Plant tulips as fall nights cool from 50°F to 40°F, finishing around your first frost. Dates for 24 cities, checked against 16 extension calendars, plus warm-winter chilling.
Plant garlic in the two weeks either side of your first fall frost. Dates for 22 US cities from NOAA normals, checked against 11 local extension calendars.
Count back from the day each crop goes outside, not from the last frost. A sourced crop chart plus seed-starting dates for 20 US cities from NOAA normals.
Plant tomatoes once frost risk is low and nights reach 50°F, usually 3–4 weeks after the average last frost. Dates for 26 cities from NOAA normals.
Seed packets are written for the whole country, so their dates are rough by design. This section works backward from your own average last spring frost and forward from your first fall frost, using NOAA station normals for your ZIP, so you know when to start seeds indoors and when it is safe to transplant.
We plan around the safer 10% frost date rather than the average, because the average still brings a late frost one year in two. Guides cite university extension vegetable programs and say when advice changes by region.
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