USDA Hardiness Zone 4B includes parts of Iowa, Michigan, southern Wisconsin, and upstate New York, with average annual minimum temperatures between -25ยฐF and -20ยฐF. The growing season stretches approximately 153 days from a last spring frost around May 1 to a first fall frost near Oct 1. This extra two weeks compared to Zone 4A opens the door to longer-season crops like winter squash and sweet corn. A late-spring cold snap is still common, so hardening off transplants and watching short-term forecasts remains essential. For a personalized forecast based on your specific zip code, use our free planting calendar. Browse individual plant guides for detailed growing instructions, or explore how USDA zones work to better understand your growing conditions.
๐ฑ Zone 4B Planting Guide
Last Spring Frost
May 1
First Fall Frost
Oct 1
Growing Season
153 days
Planting dates for 100 vegetables, herbs, and flowers โ computed from Zone 4B frost dates.
Browse all 100 Zone 4B plant guides โ
Jump directly to the detailed growing guide for any plant in Zone 4B.
๐ฅฌ Vegetables
๐ฟ Herbs
๐ธ Flowers
๐ Growing guides for Zone 4B
Hand-picked posts from the GardeningByZone blog that apply to your zone.
๐จ๏ธ Printable calendars & worksheets
Instant PDF downloads matched to your region. Print and tuck into your garden journal.
๐ฆ Midwest Regional Bundle โ $5.99 (save $3.49)
Both essential planning tools for the Midwest region โ calendar plus worksheet, bundled at $3.49 off.
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Month-by-month planting dates for 100 crops across every zone in the Midwest region. Printable PDF.
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Map beds, track planting dates, and plan rotations with zone-specific frost windows pre-filled for the Midwest region.
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