What to Plant Now by Zip Code

What to plant now: the direct answer

Your zip code places you in a USDA hardiness zone (3–10 in the continental US), and that zone determines your frost dates, which set your planting windows. Look up your zone at planthardiness.ars.usda.gov, then use the charts below to find what goes in the ground this month.

Planting calendars organized by zone are more useful than generic month-by-month lists because frost dates vary by four to eight weeks across the country. A Tennessee gardener in zone 6b plants tomatoes in late April; a Minnesota gardener in zone 4 waits until late May. The same vegetable, two different timing windows.

The key number is your average last frost date in spring and your average first frost date in fall. Everything else flows from those two dates.

How to find your planting zone and frost dates

1. Go to planthardiness.ars.usda.gov and enter your zip code.
2. Note your USDA hardiness zone (1a through 13b, most US gardeners fall in zones 3–10).
3. Look up your county extension service for specific frost dates for your town. The USDA zone tells you winter cold tolerance; your county extension publishes actual frost probability calendars.

Your USDA zone and your frost dates are two different tools. The zone tells you which perennials survive winter in your yard. Frost dates tell you when to plant warm-season annuals. Both matter. See planting zones and USDA zones guide for deeper zone breakdowns.

What cool-season vs warm-season means

Cool-season crops can survive a light frost (28–32°F). Warm-season crops die or suffer lasting damage at any frost. That line divides every planting decision.

Zone-by-zone planting guide

Zones 3–4 (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan Upper Peninsula, northern New England, northern Montana)

Last frost: May 15 – June 1 | First fall frost: September 1–15

These zones have the shortest growing season in the continental US—90 to 120 frost-free days.

Spring (April–May): Start tomato, pepper, and squash seeds indoors 6–8 weeks before last frost—mid-March for zone 4, late March for zone 3. Direct-sow peas, spinach, and radishes outdoors in April when soil is workable (soil temp 40°F+). Transplant cold-hardy brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale) mid-May.

Summer (June–August): After last frost, transplant tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash outdoors. Plant beans, corn, and summer squash directly after frost. Plant succession rows of lettuce every 2 weeks through July for continuous harvest before summer heat sets in.

Fall (August–September): Sow a last round of spinach and kale in late July for fall harvest before first frost in September. Cover crops—winter rye, crimson clover—go in after the last vegetable harvest.

Zones 5–6 (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York, most of the Midwest and mid-Atlantic)

Last frost: April 15 – May 1 (zone 6) or May 1–15 (zone 5) | First fall frost: October 1–15

These are the most common US growing zones by population. The gardening season runs 160–180 days.

Late winter (February–March): Start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant indoors under lights. Zone 6 can direct-sow peas and spinach in late February if soil is not frozen.

Spring (March–May): Transplant hardened-off brassica seedlings outdoors 4–6 weeks before last frost. Direct-sow lettuce, radishes, and carrots in March–April. Plant potatoes in early April. Transplant tomatoes and peppers after last frost (mid-April zone 6, early May zone 5).

Summer (June–August): Plant beans, cucumbers, and squash directly. Start fall brassica seeds indoors in late June for transplanting in August. See summer vegetables for what performs best in this window.

Fall (August–October): Transplant fall broccoli and kale in August. Direct-sow spinach and arugula in September. Harvest root crops before hard freeze in October–November.

Zones 7–8 (Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Pacific Northwest coast, the Carolinas, Oklahoma, Arkansas)

Last frost: March 15 – April 15 (zone 7) or February 15 – March 15 (zone 8) | First fall frost: November 1–15 (zone 7) or November 15 – December 1 (zone 8)

The two-season climate in these zones allows spring and fall gardens with minimal gap.

Winter (January–February): Start tomato and pepper seeds indoors in January. Zone 8 can direct-sow peas, spinach, and kale in February.

Spring (February–April): Transplant cold-hardy crops outdoors in February (zone 8) or March (zone 7). Direct-sow carrots, beets, turnips, and lettuces. Transplant tomatoes and peppers in late March (zone 8) or mid-April (zone 7).

Summer (May–August): Plant okra, sweet potatoes, and southern peas—heat-loving crops that struggle in cooler zones. Zone 8 summer heat can slow tomatoes in July–August; plant heat-tolerant varieties like ‘Sun Gold’ or ‘Celebrity.’ Start fall garden transplants indoors in July.

Fall (September–November): This is often the best growing season in zones 7–8. Transplant broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage in September. Direct-sow spinach, kale, carrots, and lettuce. Garlic goes in the ground in October–November for harvest next summer.

Zones 9–10 (Southern California, Arizona desert, Gulf Coast Texas and Louisiana, Florida south of Orlando, Hawaii)

Last frost: January 1 – February 1 (zone 9) or no frost (zone 10) | First fall frost: December 1 or never

Zone 9–10 gardens invert the standard calendar. Summer heat is the growth-limiter, not frost.

Winter (November–March): This is the main growing season. Plant tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant for winter harvest. Direct-sow all cool-season crops: lettuce, spinach, peas, broccoli, carrots, beets.

Spring (March–May): Transition to warm-season crops before heat arrives. Plant beans, cucumbers, squash, and corn by March–April before summer temperatures exceed 95°F.

Summer (June–September): In desert zones (Phoenix, Tucson), most crops go dormant or bolt. Plant heat-adapted crops: Armenian cucumbers, yard-long beans, Malabar spinach, okra. Start fall transplants indoors in August.

Fall (October–November): Replant all cool-season crops as temperatures drop below 85°F. This second fall/winter garden is often more productive than the spring one.

Month-by-month cheat sheet: what to plant when

The table below uses the approximate planting windows for each zone. “S” = start seeds indoors; “D” = direct sow; “T” = transplant outdoors.

What to plant right now if you don’t know your zone

If you’re reading this in the Northern Hemisphere summer (June–August) and haven’t looked up your zone yet, here is a practical starting point:

• Your summers are cold (nights below 50°F in July): You are likely zone 3–4. Focus on fast-maturing crops: ‘Stupice’ tomatoes (52 days), ‘Salad Bush’ cucumbers (57 days), radishes, lettuce.
• Your summers are moderate (70–85°F days, cool nights): Zone 5–6. Full range of summer vegetables applies. Focus on starting fall crops indoors now for August transplanting.
• Your summers are hot (90°F+ for weeks): Zone 7–9. Start fall crops indoors now—broccoli, kale, peppers for fall production. Manage summer heat stress on tomatoes.
• Your summers are very hot (100°F+ common): Zone 9–10 or desert. Transition to heat-adapted crops; begin pre-planning for the fall/winter main season.

For deeper dive on zone-specific timing, see last frost date by zip code.

How to use companion planting by season

Season and zone affect which companion planting strategies work. Cool-season companions that protect each other include dill and carrots, lettuce and radishes (radishes act as trap crops for flea beetles). Warm-season combinations—the classic Three Sisters of corn, beans, and squash—need soil above 65°F to work well. See companion planting for a full guide to which crops benefit each other.

Starting your first seasonal garden

If this is your first garden, the easiest entry point is a 4×8 raised bed planted with zone-appropriate crops in early spring (cool-season) and again after last frost (warm-season). Read how to start a vegetable garden for the ground-prep sequence. The planting calendar in that guide aligns with the zone timing in this article.

For flowers planted alongside vegetables, full sun flowers shows which annual and perennial combinations suit zone 5–9 gardens through summer.

Fall: the underused season

Most US gardeners plant once in spring and harvest through summer. A fall garden—planted in late July or August depending on zone—can double your annual yield from the same space. The fall window for cool-season crops typically runs from 6 weeks before first fall frost back to August.

Calculate your fall planting window: First fall frost date minus days-to-maturity minus 14 days (for cool-weather slowdown). For a broccoli variety that matures in 60 days, with a first frost on October 15: 10/15 − 60 days − 14 days = July 23 transplant date.

At season end, learn how to winterize your garden to protect soil structure and get ahead for next spring.

The two mistakes that ruin planting timing

Planting too early. Warm-season crops put in cold soil sit stunned—they don’t grow, they just wait. Meanwhile, soil-borne fungi attack the roots of stalled seedlings. A tomato transplanted into 55°F soil on May 1 will be lapped by one put in 65°F soil on May 15.

Planting too late. Every week of delay costs you a week of production. In a zone 5 garden with 160 frost-free days, a tomato planted June 15 instead of May 15 loses a month of harvest—potentially 15–20 pounds of fruit per plant.

The fix for both is a $12 soil thermometer and your county extension’s frost probability calendar. Check soil temperature at 4 inches. Check the 10-day forecast for nights below 32°F. Then plant.

Key resources

• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map — Enter your zip code to find your zone.
• Almanac Planting Calendar — Enter your zip code for crop-specific planting dates based on your local frost dates.
• Your county cooperative extension service (search “cooperative extension [your county name]”) publishes local frost probability tables more accurate than national averages.