Vegetable planting calendar
When to start seeds indoors, sow and transplant 16 common vegetables, calculated from the frost dates at your address.
Planting rules for each vegetable
Enter a location to turn these into dates.
| Crop | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Start seeds indoors | 6–8 weeks before last frost |
| Transplant outside | 1–3 weeks after last frost | |
| Pepper | Start seeds indoors | 8–10 weeks before last frost |
| Transplant outside | 2–4 weeks after last frost | |
| Potato | Plant seed potatoes | 3 weeks before to 1 week after last frost |
| Pumpkin | Optional: start indoors in pots | 2–3 weeks before last frost |
| Sow seed outside | 1–4 weeks after last frost | |
| Squash | Optional: start indoors in pots | 2–4 weeks before last frost |
| Sow seed outside | 1–3 weeks after last frost | |
| Zucchini | Optional: start indoors in pots | 2–3 weeks before last frost |
| Sow seed outside | 1–3 weeks after last frost | |
| Last sowing for a fall crop | 8–10 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Cucumber | Optional: start indoors in pots | 3–4 weeks before last frost |
| Sow seed outside | 1–3 weeks after last frost | |
| Strawberry | Plant bare-root crowns | 0–4 weeks before last frost |
| Fall planting (mild winters) | 4–8 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Garlic | Plant cloves in fall | 1–5 weeks after first fall frost |
| Spring planting (smaller bulbs) | 3–6 weeks before last frost | |
| Onion | Start seeds indoors | 10–12 weeks before last frost |
| Plant sets or transplants | 2–4 weeks before last frost | |
| Carrot | Sow seed outside (spring) | 3 weeks before to 2 weeks after last frost |
| Sow for a fall crop | 10–12 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Lettuce | Start seeds indoors | 6–8 weeks before last frost |
| Sow or transplant outside | 4 weeks before to 2 weeks after last frost | |
| Sow for a fall crop | 6–8 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Bean | Sow seed outside | 1–3 weeks after last frost |
| Last sowing | 8–10 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Pea | Sow seed outside | 4–8 weeks before last frost |
| Sow for a fall crop | 8–10 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Broccoli | Start seeds indoors | 7–10 weeks before last frost |
| Transplant outside | 0–3 weeks before last frost | |
| Start seeds for a fall crop | 12–14 weeks before first fall frost | |
| Sweet corn | Sow seed outside | 1–3 weeks after last frost |
Questions gardeners ask
How is this planting calendar worked out?
Each crop has a sowing rule based on weeks before or after the average last spring frost (or before the first fall frost), taken from university extension guidance such as the Cornell, University of Minnesota and RHS vegetable guides. PlantWise applies those rules to frost dates computed for your exact location.
When should I start seeds indoors?
Most transplanted crops are started 6–10 weeks before the last frost: peppers 8–10 weeks, tomatoes 6–8, broccoli 7–10, lettuce 6–8, onions from seed 10–12. Starting too early gives leggy, root-bound seedlings.
What can I plant now?
Enter your location and the “Plant now” list shows every crop whose sowing or planting window includes today, plus those opening in the next four weeks.
Can I plant earlier than the calendar says?
With protection. Row cover adds 2–4°F of frost protection, a cold frame more. Soil temperature is often the real limit: tender seeds rot in cold soil.