USDA Hardiness Zone 6A includes parts of Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, and the MissouriโKansas border, with average annual minimum temperatures between -10ยฐF and -5ยฐF. The growing season averages 177 frost-free days, from a last spring frost around Apr 21 to a first fall frost near Oct 15. Zone 6A is a reliable region for most garden vegetables. Warm-season crops transplanted in late April or early May have ample time to mature, and a moderate fall allows extended harvest of cool-season crops like kale, carrots, and spinach. 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 6A Planting Guide
Last Spring Frost
Apr 21
First Fall Frost
Oct 15
Growing Season
177 days
Planting dates for 100 vegetables, herbs, and flowers โ computed from Zone 6A frost dates.
Browse all 100 Zone 6A plant guides โ
Jump directly to the detailed growing guide for any plant in Zone 6A.
๐ฅฌ Vegetables
๐ฟ Herbs
๐ธ Flowers
๐ Growing guides for Zone 6A
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 Southeast Regional Bundle โ $5.99 (save $3.49)
Both essential planning tools for the Southeast region โ calendar plus worksheet, bundled at $3.49 off.
Buy bundle for $5.99๐ Southeast Planting Calendar โ $4.49
Month-by-month planting dates for 100 crops across every zone in the Southeast region. Printable PDF.
Buy for $4.49๐ Southeast Planning Worksheet โ $4.99
Map beds, track planting dates, and plan rotations with zone-specific frost windows pre-filled for the Southeast region.
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