Gardening
Planting calendars are local. Hardiness zones alone do not tell you when to sow every crop.
Start with Cooperative Extension
Find your state or county Cooperative Extension service and look for a vegetable planting calendar or crop guide written for your region. Extension guidance can account for local heat, rainfall, elevation, soils, pest cycles, and the difference between cool- and warm-season crops.
Use frost dates as probabilities
Average last- and first-frost dates describe historical patterns, not guarantees. A tender crop may still need protection after an average last frost, while cool-season crops can often be planted earlier. Check the weather forecast and soil conditions before planting.
Read each crop separately
Seed packets and regional crop guides explain whether to start indoors, direct sow, or transplant; how warm soil should be; and how long the crop takes to mature. Count backward from a realistic harvest window for long-season crops and forward from suitable soil conditions for direct-sown crops.
Adjust with your own records
Record sowing, transplanting, germination, weather setbacks, and actual harvest. Note microclimates such as a warm south wall, windy balcony, shaded bed, or low frost pocket. After a few seasons, your own notes become a precise companion to Extension guidance.
Sources and next steps
- USDA NIFA: Cooperative Extension System
- University of Arizona Extension: Why planting dates vary by elevation and climate
Continue with the Gardening hub, organize harvests in the Pantry, and use tested home-canning guidance when preserving.