Vegetable Planting Calendar by Zone
A complete 2026 guide showing exactly when to plant 40+ vegetables based on your USDA hardiness zone and last frost date.
Published April 19, 2025 · Updated for 2026 Season
What Is a Vegetable Planting Calendar?
A vegetable planting calendar is a scheduling tool that tells you the precise dates to start seeds, direct sow outdoors, and transplant seedlings into your garden. Instead of guessing, you work backward from your area's average last spring frost date to calculate when each crop needs to go into the ground — or into a seed tray indoors.
The key variable is your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone — a map system that divides the US into 17 climate zones (3a through 11) based on average winter minimum temperatures. Your zone determines your last frost date, which anchors every date in your planting calendar.
Quick Start: Enter your ZIP code in our planting calculator to instantly get a personalized 2026 schedule for 40+ crops.
Planting Calendar by Zone — Overview
The table below shows a summary of planting windows for each major zone group. For full crop-specific dates, use the calculator at the bottom of this page.
| Zone | Last Frost | Season |
|---|---|---|
| 4a–4b | May 1 | 137–151 days |
| 5a–5b | Apr 7–15 | 175–191 days |
| 6a–6b | Mar 22–30 | 209–224 days |
| 7a–7b | Mar 5–15 | 245–265 days |
| 8a–8b | Feb 10–20 | 283–303 days |
| 9a–9b | Jan 20–30 | 319–334 days |
Indoor Start vs. Direct Sow — Which Crops Need What?
Not every vegetable needs to be started indoors. Understanding this is the single most important thing for a new vegetable gardener.
🌱 Start Indoors
These crops need a long head start before the last frost:
- • Tomato — 7 weeks before last frost
- • Pepper — 9 weeks before last frost
- • Eggplant — 9 weeks before last frost
- • Onion — 10 weeks before last frost
- • Broccoli — 7 weeks before last frost
- • Cabbage — 7 weeks before last frost
🌾 Direct Sow Outdoors
These crops dislike transplanting — sow directly:
- • Carrot — 3 weeks before last frost
- • Pea — 4 weeks before last frost
- • Spinach — 5 weeks before last frost
- • Bush Bean — 2 weeks after last frost
- • Sweet Corn — 2 weeks after last frost
- • Radish — 4 weeks before last frost