Planting Guides by Zone
Find your USDA hardiness zone, then explore planting dates for 100 crops
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map divides North America into zones based on average annual minimum winter temperature. Your zone determines your frost-free growing season length — from 94 days in Zone 2A to 364 in Zone 11A. Each zone page below includes a filterable planting calendar for 100 vegetables, herbs, and flowers with exact dates computed from that zone's frost data.
Not sure which zone you're in? Enter your zip code to find out automatically. You can also browse individual plant guides or read our growing guides for seasonal advice.
Great Plains
KS, NE, OK, ND, SD. Extremes define the prairie: sustained wind, irregular precipitation, and annual temperature swings exceeding 130°F. Growing seasons range from 94 to 123 frost-free days.
See our Great Plains Vegetable Gardening Guide →
Midwest
IL, IN, IA, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI. Rich prairie soils with compressed growing seasons from 123 to 178 frost-free days. Late spring frosts and early fall freezes bracket the primary planting window.
See our Midwest Vegetable Gardening Guide → · Also relevant: zones 4a–5b appear in parts of the Mountain West and Pacific Northwest.
Northeast
NY, PA, NJ, CT, MA, ME, NH, VT, RI, DE, MD. Four distinct seasons with rocky and acidic soils. Growing seasons range from 153 to 193 frost-free days across the zone 4b–6a band that covers most of the region.
See our Northeast Vegetable Gardening Guide → · The NE guide covers zones 4a–8a. Zones 4a, 5a, 5b also appear under Midwest above; zones 6b–8a under Southeast below.
Southeast
GA, NC, SC, VA, AL, TN, MS, AR, KY, LA, WV. Long humid summers with mild winters allow dual spring/fall planting cycles. Growing seasons range from 193 to 251 frost-free days.
See our Southeast Vegetable Gardening Guide →
Texas
Five sub-regions from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley. Drought management and dual growing seasons (spring + fall) define the strategy. Growing seasons range from 251 to 273 frost-free days in the primary zones.
See our Texas Vegetable Gardening Guide → · The TX guide covers zones 7a–10a. Zones 7a–8a appear under Southeast above; zones 9b–10a under Florida below.
Florida & Subtropics
FL, HI, coastal Southern CA. Subtropical to tropical conditions with inverted growing calendars — the prime vegetable season runs October through April. Growing seasons range from 298 to 364 frost-free days.
See our Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide →
Northern California
Bay Area, Sacramento Valley, Wine Country, Sierra Foothills, North Coast. Mediterranean climate with dry summers and wet winters — a fundamentally different moisture pattern than same-zone regions elsewhere.
See our Northern California Vegetable Gardening Guide → · The NorCal guide covers zones 7a–10a. Zones 7a–9a appear under Southeast/Texas above.
More Regional Guides
Some regions are defined more by geography and climate pattern than by USDA zone alone. These guides cover zones already listed above but with region-specific growing strategies.
Pacific Northwest
OR, WA · Zones 5a–9b
Maritime climate with cool summers and 37–60 inches of annual rainfall. The PNW cool season is a second growing season — not a shutdown.
See the PNW Guide →
Mountain West
CO, MT, WY, ID, UT, NM · Zones 3b–7a
Altitude changes everything: faster evaporation, stronger UV, and 50°F daily temperature swings. Frost timing varies by elevation, not just latitude.
See the Mountain West Guide →
Southwest
AZ, NM, NV, UT, West TX · Zones 5a–10b
Arid heat with alkaline soils and 3–15 inches of annual rainfall. Two growing windows separated by extreme summer heat above 110°F.
See the Southwest Guide →