Planting Calendar by USDA Zone (3–10)

Crop-by-crop sowing windows for the eight most-gardened USDA hardiness zones. Every window is anchored to a typical last-frost date for that zone — treat it as general guidance and adjust to your local forecast each spring.

Not sure which zone is yours? Check the printable USDA zone chart, or generate a personalized schedule from your zone and vegetable picks.

USDA Zone 3 planting calendar

Typical last frost: mid May – early Jun · first frost: mid Sep. A short, intense season. Start everything you can indoors, choose fast-maturing varieties, and treat the last week of May as your realistic outdoor start.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	mid Mar – late Mar	late Apr – mid May	late Apr – mid May
Pea	—	mid Apr – late Apr	—
Lettuce	—	late Apr – mid May	—
Spinach	—	mid Apr – late Apr	—
Carrot	—	late Apr – mid May	—
Tomato	late Mar – mid Apr	early Jun	early Jun
Bush bean	—	early Jun	—
Zucchini	early May – mid May	early Jun	early Jun

USDA Zone 4 planting calendar

Typical last frost: early – mid May · first frost: late Sep. Cool nights linger into May. Cold frames and row cover buy you one to two extra weeks on both ends of the season.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	early Mar – mid Mar	mid Apr – late Apr	mid Apr – late Apr
Pea	—	late Mar – mid Apr	—
Lettuce	—	mid Apr – late Apr	—
Spinach	—	late Mar – mid Apr	—
Carrot	—	mid Apr – late Apr	—
Tomato	mid Mar – late Mar	mid May – late May	mid May – late May
Bush bean	—	mid May – late May	—
Zucchini	mid Apr – late Apr	mid May – late May	mid May – late May

USDA Zone 5 planting calendar

Typical last frost: mid – late Apr · first frost: mid Oct. A true four-season-adjacent temperate zone: spring peas and greens in April, tomatoes after the last frost, fall sowings again in August.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	mid Feb – late Feb	late Mar – mid Apr	late Mar – mid Apr
Pea	—	mid Mar – late Mar	—
Lettuce	—	late Mar – mid Apr	—
Spinach	—	mid Mar – late Mar	—
Carrot	—	late Mar – mid Apr	—
Tomato	late Feb – mid Mar	early May	early May
Bush bean	—	early May	—
Zucchini	early Apr – mid Apr	early May	early May

USDA Zone 6 planting calendar

Typical last frost: early – mid Apr · first frost: late Oct. The classic temperate zone — most seed-packet date ranges are written for zone 6 conditions. Stagger lettuce and beans every two weeks.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	late Jan – mid Feb	mid Mar – late Mar	mid Mar – late Mar
Pea	—	late Feb – mid Mar	—
Lettuce	—	mid Mar – late Mar	—
Spinach	—	late Feb – mid Mar	—
Carrot	—	mid Mar – late Mar	—
Tomato	mid Feb – late Feb	mid Apr – late Apr	mid Apr – late Apr
Bush bean	—	mid Apr – late Apr	—
Zucchini	mid Mar – late Mar	mid Apr – late Apr	mid Apr – late Apr

USDA Zone 7 planting calendar

Typical last frost: mid – late Mar · first frost: early Nov. Long warm months with a real winter. Two full rounds of cool-season crops: one in early spring, one starting late summer for fall harvest.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	mid Jan – late Jan	late Feb – mid Mar	late Feb – mid Mar
Pea	—	mid Feb – late Feb	—
Lettuce	—	late Feb – mid Mar	—
Spinach	—	mid Feb – late Feb	—
Carrot	—	late Feb – mid Mar	—
Tomato	late Jan – mid Feb	early Apr	early Apr
Bush bean	—	early Apr	—
Zucchini	early Mar – mid Mar	early Apr	early Apr

USDA Zone 8 planting calendar

Typical last frost: early – mid Mar · first frost: mid Nov. Mild winters shift the calendar: the fall and winter months are your lettuce, onion, and pea season, and summer heat ends spinach early.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	early Jan – mid Jan	early Feb – late Feb	early Feb – late Feb
Pea	—	late Jan – early Feb	—
Lettuce	—	early Feb – late Feb	—
Spinach	—	late Jan – early Feb	—
Carrot	—	early Feb – late Feb	—
Tomato	mid Jan – late Jan	mid Mar – late Mar	mid Mar – late Mar
Bush bean	—	mid Mar – late Mar	—
Zucchini	mid Feb – late Feb	mid Mar – late Mar	mid Mar – late Mar

USDA Zone 9 planting calendar

Typical last frost: mid Feb – early Mar · first frost: early Dec. Gardening year-round with a hot, quiet summer. Plant the classic cool-season garden from fall through late winter, and use summer for heat-lovers only.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	early Jan	late Jan – mid Feb	late Jan – mid Feb
Pea	—	mid Jan – late Jan	—
Lettuce	—	late Jan – mid Feb	—
Spinach	—	mid Jan – late Jan	—
Carrot	—	late Jan – mid Feb	—
Tomato	early Jan – mid Jan	early Mar – mid Mar	early Mar – mid Mar
Bush bean	—	early Mar – mid Mar	—
Zucchini	early Feb – mid Feb	early Mar – mid Mar	early Mar – mid Mar

USDA Zone 10 planting calendar

Typical last frost: mid Jan – early Feb · first frost: rare / mid Dec. Nearly frost-free. The rhythm inverts — sowing happens from September through February, and unrelented summer heat is the limiting factor, not cold.

Vegetable	Start indoors	Sow outdoors	Transplant
Onion	early Jan	early Jan – mid Jan	early Jan – mid Jan
Pea	—	early Jan	—
Lettuce	—	early Jan – mid Jan	—
Spinach	—	early Jan	—
Carrot	—	early Jan – mid Jan	—
Tomato	early Jan	early Feb	early Feb
Bush bean	—	early Feb	—
Zucchini	early Jan – mid Jan	early Feb	early Feb

About these windows

Windows are general guidance: they are relative to a typical last-frost date for each zone, and actual dates shift with microclimate and from year to year. Check your local forecast and soil temperature before sowing — soil warming up matters more than the calendar for warm-season crops.

Zone ranges follow the US USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Gardeners outside the United States: other countries’ zone systems use different scales, so convert with care.