2026 Vegetable Planting Calendar by Zone
Pick your zone and get an instant planting calendar — start-indoors, sow, transplant and harvest dates for 20 popular vegetables. Free, no sign-up, your zone is remembered.
Last spring frost: Apr 10
First fall frost: Oct 25
Growing season: ~198 days
Saved to this browser — your zone will be remembered next time. Typical areas: Nashville TN, Oklahoma City OK.
Zone 7a growing challenge:
With ~198 frost-free days, you have a solid growing window. Your main challenge is the transition between cool and warm seasons. Time your spring cool-season plantings to finish before summer heat arrives, and start fall crops in mid-summer.
| Vegetable | Start Indoors | Sow / Transplant | Method | Harvest From | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beet | — | Mar 13 | Direct sow | May 7 | Details → |
| 🥦Broccoli | Mar 6 | Mar 27 | Transplant | May 31 | Details → |
| 🫘Bush Beans | — | Apr 17 | Direct sow | Jun 11 | Details → |
| 🥬Cabbage | Feb 27 | Mar 27 | Transplant | Jun 15 | Details → |
| 🥕Carrot | — | Mar 20 | Direct sow | May 29 | Details → |
| 🥦Cauliflower | Feb 27 | Mar 27 | Transplant | Jun 10 | Details → |
| 🌽Corn | — | Apr 24 | Direct sow | Jul 13 | Details → |
| 🥒Cucumber | Mar 20 | Apr 24 | Direct sow or transplant | Jun 18 | Details → |
| 🧄Garlic | — | Sep 25 | Direct sow | May 23 | Details → |
| 🥬Kale | Mar 6 | Mar 20 | Direct sow or transplant | May 14 | Details → |
| 🥬Lettuce | Mar 13 | Mar 20 | Direct sow or transplant | May 4 | Details → |
| 🧅Onion | Jan 30 | Mar 13 | Transplant | Jun 21 | Details → |
| 🟢Peas | — | Feb 27 | Direct sow | Apr 28 | Details → |
| 🫑Pepper | Feb 13 | Apr 24 | Transplant | Jul 3 | Details → |
| 🥔Potato | — | Mar 27 | Direct sow | Jun 25 | Details → |
| 🌶️Radish | — | Mar 13 | Direct sow | Apr 10 | Details → |
| 🍃Spinach | — | Mar 6 | Direct sow | Apr 15 | Details → |
| 🎃Summer Squash | Mar 20 | Apr 17 | Direct sow or transplant | Jun 6 | Details → |
| 🍅Tomato | Feb 27 | Apr 17 | Transplant | Jul 1 | Details → |
| 🥒Zucchini | Mar 20 | Apr 17 | Direct sow or transplant | Jun 6 | Details → |
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How this planting calendar works
Every vegetable has a temperature personality. Cool-season crops like lettuce, peas, spinach and kale shrug off light frost and can go in the ground weeks before your last spring frost. Warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and squash are killed by frost and need warm soil, so they wait until the danger has passed. This tool takes the average last-frost and first-frost dates for your USDA hardiness zone and works backward and forward for each crop — telling you when to start seeds indoors, when to move them outside, and roughly when you'll be harvesting.
The biggest mistake new gardeners make is planting warm-season crops too early because of one nice week in spring. A late frost wipes them out overnight. The second biggest mistake is planting cool-season crops too late, so they bolt in the summer heat. A zone-based calendar fixes both. Select your zone above, bookmark the page, and come back each season — your zone is saved automatically.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know my USDA hardiness zone?
Your USDA zone is based on the average annual minimum winter temperature where you live. Look up your ZIP code on the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, then select that zone above to get your personalized planting calendar.
What do the planting dates mean?
Start Indoors is when to sow seeds in trays inside. Sow / Transplant is when to plant outside in the garden. Harvest From is the earliest you can expect to pick. All dates are calculated from your zone's average last spring frost.
Are these dates exact for my town?
They are regional averages for your USDA zone. Microclimates, elevation and a given year's weather shift them by a week or two. Use them as a reliable starting point and adjust to your local frost dates.
Is this planting calendar free?
Yes — completely free, no sign-up, no app. Your selected zone is saved in your browser so the calendar is ready every time you come back.