Author: Jagdish Reddy | 10+ Years Gardening Experience
Based on: USDA Zones & US Planting Schedules
Status: Verified for Current US Growing Conditions for planting calendar by state & zone
Updated: May 2026

What to plant in your area right now depends on your state and growing zone. Use this planting calendar by state & zone to instantly see what to plant outdoors, start indoors, avoid, and harvest this month — based on your exact US location.

⚡ Instant Answer: What Should You Plant This Month?

Your best crops right now depend on your zone. Here are three quick examples:

• Zone 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio) — May: Tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, and cucumbers are all safe to transplant outdoors. Start nothing indoors — your spring indoor window has closed.
• Zone 7 (Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas) — May: Pumpkin, okra, sweet potato, and peanuts go in the ground now. Cool-season crops like broccoli and peas are finishing up — harvest them before heat sets in.
• Zone 9 (California, Arizona) — May: Beans and okra can still go out. Avoid broccoli, spinach, and lettuce — they will bolt immediately in rising heat.

Select your state below for your full personalized results. →

🌱 Get Your Personalized Planting Calendar in Under 30 Seconds

Planting Window vs. Exact Dates (Stop Following Fixed Calendars)

Most gardening guides give you a date. “Plant tomatoes on May 15.” “Sow carrots by April 10.”

It sounds precise. It is not.

There is no single correct planting date. There is a planting window — a range of 2 to 4 weeks during which a crop can go in the ground successfully.

Within that window, the right moment depends on:

• Your local weather that year
• Your soil temperature (more on this below)
• The specific variety you are growing

A Zone 6 gardener planting tomatoes is not looking at “May 10.” They are working with a window of roughly May 5 through June 1. A cold, wet spring pushes them toward the later end. A warm, dry April lets them go earlier.

Fixed calendars fail because they cannot account for year-to-year variation. A planting window gives you the correct range — and lets you read your actual conditions to make the call.

This is exactly how this planting calendar by state and zone works. It replaces generic planting dates by zone with real planting windows — ones you adjust based on your actual local conditions, not a printed average.

Pro tip: The single most reliable signal within your planting window is soil temperature — covered in the next section.

Soil Temperature vs. Planting Time (Why Most Calendars Are Wrong)

Calendar dates tell you when to look at your garden. Soil temperature tells you when to actually plant.

Air temperature and soil temperature are not the same thing.

On a 65°F afternoon in early spring, your soil may still be 45°F — far too cold for tomatoes, peppers, or corn to germinate properly. Planting by date alone ignores this entirely.

Seeds do not respond to the calendar. They respond to soil warmth.

Below the minimum soil temperature, seeds either fail to germinate, germinate slowly, or produce stunted transplants that never fully recover.

Planting at the wrong soil temperature is one of the most common — and most avoidable — causes of early season failure.

Here are the minimum soil temperatures for the most common crops:

Crop	Minimum Soil Temp	Ideal Range	What Happens If Too Cold
Tomato	60°F	65–70°F	Stunted growth, poor fruit set
Bell Pepper	65°F	70–80°F	Germination failure, yellowing
Cucumber	60°F	65–75°F	Slow germination, wilting
Sweet Corn	55°F	65–85°F	Poor stand, patchy germination
Beans	60°F	65–85°F	Rotting before sprouting
Lettuce	40°F	45–65°F	Bolts rapidly if soil is too warm
Spinach	35°F	45–65°F	Bolting in heat above 75°F soil
Carrot	45°F	55–75°F	Poor germination, forked roots
Peas	40°F	50–65°F	Rot in cold, wet soil
Squash	60°F	70–85°F	Slow germination, vine rot

How to check your soil temperature:

Use an inexpensive soil thermometer pushed 2–3 inches into the ground — the depth where most seeds are placed. Check it in the morning, when readings are most consistent. Many cooperative extension offices also publish weekly local soil temperature data online.

How this connects to the planting calendar by state and zone:

This tool gives you the correct planting window for your zone and month. Soil temperature is your execution trigger within that window.

When both align — your calendar window is open and your soil hits the right temperature — that is your moment to plant.

✅ Quick Answer: What Does This Tool Give You?

This monthly planting calendar shows what to plant each month based on your state and USDA growing zone — covering all 50 US states and Zones 3 through 10. It generates four result cards plus a zone-specific tip every time you run a lookup:

• 🌱 Plant Now — crops to direct-sow or transplant outdoors this month in your zone
• 🏡 Start Indoors — seeds to germinate inside now so seedlings are ready when outdoor conditions improve
• ⚠️ Avoid Planting — crops that will fail or underperform this month in your zone
• 🌾 Ready to Harvest — crops approaching peak harvest this month
• 🌿 Zone Tip — a practical, experience-based tip specific to your USDA zone

40–60 crops per zone. All 12 months. Zero database, zero account, zero wait.

Why This Planting Calendar by State and Zone Is Different

There is no shortage of planting guides online.

Most are built for a national audience — specific enough to look useful, vague enough to apply to nobody in particular.

This garden planting schedule is built differently. Here is what sets it apart:

All 50 US states pre-mapped. Select your state and the tool identifies your USDA Hardiness Zone automatically. You never need to look it up separately. Alabama maps to Zone 7. Minnesota maps to Zone 4. Florida maps to Zone 10. Every state is covered.

Zone-specific, not regional averages. A Zone 5 gardener in Illinois and a Zone 9 gardener in California see completely different results — as they should. In May, the Illinois gardener is transplanting tomatoes for the first time. The California gardener already has tomatoes in and is now planting okra and peanuts. This tool shows them different data.

All 12 months covered. Most planting guides focus on spring. This tool gives you accurate guidance in January, August, October, and every month between. Fall planting, winter prep, and year-round growing in warm zones are all fully covered.

Includes what NOT to plant. The Avoid card is one of the most useful features in this tool — and the most overlooked category in gardening guides. Broccoli in Zone 8’s July heat will bolt. Corn in Zone 5’s April cold will not germinate. Knowing this saves seeds, money, and frustration.

Includes harvest timing. The Ready to Harvest card turns this from a planting-only tool into a full seasonal management guide. It tells you what you planted last month that should be coming in now — so nothing goes unpicked.

100% free. No account, no email, no paywall.

This Tool vs. Generic Online Planting Charts

Feature	Generic Online Charts	Planting Calendar by State & Zone
Location accuracy	One-size-fits-all	Zone-specific for your exact USDA zone
Season coverage	Spring-focused	All 12 months
Avoid guidance	Rarely included	Dedicated Avoid card every month
Harvest timing	Almost never included	Dedicated Harvest card every month
Indoor seed starting	Occasional, imprecise	Zone and month specific
Personalized tips	Never	Zone tip with every result
State coverage	Often partial	All 50 US states
Cost	Free to paid	Always free

🌱 What to Plant Now Near Me (Based on Your State & Zone)

The right crops for this month depend entirely on your zone. Here is a snapshot of what this garden planting schedule is currently showing for each growing region:

Zone 3–4 (Alaska, Minnesota, Maine, Vermont, Montana, Wisconsin)

The short-season window is either just opening or in full swing. Direct-sow peas, lettuce, spinach, and kale as soon as soil can be worked. Tomatoes and peppers still need 6–10 more weeks indoors — they do not go outside until late May or early June at the earliest.

Zone 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska)

Spring planting is active. Direct-sow carrots, beets, and broccoli outdoors. Transplant tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers once your last frost has passed. Corn, melons, and pumpkin follow close behind once soil warms.

Zone 6 (New York, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri, Connecticut)

A productive spring window is wide open. Lettuce, arugula, Swiss chard, onions, and kale plant now. Warm-season transplants go out once nighttime temperatures stay reliably above 50°F.

Zone 7 (Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, North Carolina)

Warm-season planting is well underway. Okra, sweet potato, and pumpkin go out now. Broccoli and peas are finishing — harvest them before heat sets in. Succession planting your summer beds begins this month.

Zone 8 (Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Washington, South Carolina)

Summer heat is ramping up. Beans and okra still go out. Broccoli, peas, spinach, and lettuce are done for the season — they cannot handle the heat. Start thinking about your fall garden plan.

Zone 9–10 (California, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana)

Most cool-season crops are finished until fall. Heat-tolerant crops like okra and peanuts are your main outdoor options. Start broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower indoors now — they will be transplant-ready when temperatures drop in fall.

→ Use the tool above for exact crop lists for your state and month.

How to Use the USA Planting Calendar: Step-by-Step

The tool takes under 30 seconds. Here is exactly what to do.

Step 1 — Select Your State or USDA Zone. Choose your state from the dropdown and the tool auto-fills your USDA zone. Or select your zone directly if you already know it. All 50 states and Zones 3–10 are supported.

Step 2 — Select the Month. Choose the current month for immediate guidance. Or pick a future month to plan ahead — all 12 months are available.

Step 3 — Click “Show Planting Calendar 🌱”. Your personalized results appear instantly across four cards plus a zone tip.

Using the Month Navigation Bar. Once results load, a horizontal month bar appears at the top. Click any month to switch to that month’s data for the same zone — no need to go back to the dropdowns. Useful for planning multiple months in a single session.

Understanding Your Results: What Each Card Means

🌱 Plant Now

Crops you can direct-sow or transplant outdoors into your garden soil this month. Frost risk, soil temperature norms, and day length in your zone all support these crops going in the ground now.

Zone 6 example — April: Lettuce, Swiss chard, arugula, onions, and kale. All cool-season crops suited to mild spring temperatures in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Kansas.

Zone 9 example — February: Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and beans. Zone 9’s mild winters mean these go outdoors two full months before most of the country.

🏡 Start Indoors

These crops are not ready for outdoor conditions yet, but now is the time to germinate them inside so seedlings are transplant-ready when the window opens.

Zone 4 example — March: Start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant indoors now. The last frost in Zone 4 arrives in late May or early June. By then, 8–10 week seedlings are ready to go straight into the garden at full strength.

Zone 10 example — June: Start broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower indoors — shielded from summer heat — for fall transplanting when temperatures drop.

⚠️ Avoid Planting

A dedicated card listing crops that will fail or underperform this month in your zone. Most planting guides do not include this — and it is where gardeners lose the most seeds and money.

Cool-season crops like spinach, peas, and broccoli appear in the Avoid card through peak summer in most zones — they bolt in heat.

Warm-season crops like corn, melon, and cucumbers appear in the Avoid card through cold months — they cannot germinate in cold soil.

🌾 Ready to Harvest

Crops planted in recent weeks that are now approaching or at peak harvest in your zone. Use this as a garden walkthrough checklist — not a guaranteed date, since timing varies by variety and conditions.

🌿 Zone Tip

A practical, experience-based gardening tip specific to your USDA zone included with every result:

• Zone 3: Use cold frames or row covers to extend your 90–120 day growing season by 2–4 weeks on both ends.
• Zone 5: Wait until soil reaches 60°F before transplanting tomatoes and peppers — air temperature alone is not enough.
• Zone 7: Plant cool-season crops in fall for a mild winter harvest. Succession-plant warm crops through summer.
• Zone 9: Mild winters allow true year-round gardening. Manage summer heat with shade cloth and drip irrigation.
• Zone 10: Avoid cool-season crops when temperatures exceed 95°F. Focus on tropical and heat-tolerant varieties in peak summer.

What to Plant After Each Harvest (Succession Planting by Zone)

Most gardeners think about what to plant once per season.

The best gardeners think about what to plant next — the moment a crop comes out of the ground.

Succession planting means following one finished crop with another that suits the remaining season. Done well, it keeps your beds producing from early spring through hard frost — or year-round in warmer zones.

Almost no planting guides cover this properly. Here is a practical succession map organized by harvested crop:

Harvested Crop	When It Finishes	Best Follow-Up Crop	Why It Works
Lettuce	Late spring / early summer	Bush beans	Soil is warm, beans thrive in early summer heat
Peas	Late spring	Cucumbers	Peas fix nitrogen — cucumbers benefit directly
Spinach	Late spring	Summer squash	Same timing — squash fills the warm-weather gap
Garlic	Early summer	Fall carrots	Garlic leaves beds loose and cleared in time for fall root crops
Potatoes	Mid summer	Fall broccoli or cabbage	Timing aligns perfectly for cool-season transplants
Radishes	Spring	Beets	Fast crop clears early; beets have time to mature
Broccoli (spring)	Late spring	Tomato or pepper transplant	Cleared beds warm up in time for warm-season crops
Sweet corn	Late summer	Fall spinach or kale	Cleared stalks; beds ready for cool-season direct sow
Onions	Midsummer	Fall lettuce or arugula	Beds are ready just as fall planting window opens

How to use this with the planting calendar by state and zone:

When you harvest a crop, open the tool, select your state, and choose the current month. The Plant Now card will show you what can go in immediately — including the succession crops above.

A note on zone timing:

• In Zone 3 and 4, succession windows are tight. There may not be time to follow peas with cucumbers before frost.
• In Zone 8, 9, and 10, succession planting can happen multiple times per bed per year.

Use the tool’s month navigation bar to plan several months ahead in a single session.

USDA Hardiness Zones: Quick Reference for US Gardeners

Zone	States Covered	Winter Low	Growing Season	Key Challenge
Zone 3	Alaska, N. Minnesota, N. Dakota	-40 to -30°F	90–120 days	Extremely short window — indoor starting essential
Zone 4	Maine, Vermont, Wisconsin, Montana, Wyoming	-30 to -20°F	120–150 days	Short season — 8–10 weeks indoor head start needed
Zone 5	Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa	-20 to -10°F	150–180 days	Late spring frosts — patience pays
Zone 6	New York, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Missouri	-10 to 0°F	165–195 days	Balanced — two cool-season harvests possible
Zone 7	Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma	0 to 10°F	180–210 days	Long season — succession planting is key
Zone 8	Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Washington	10 to 20°F	200–240 days	Intense summers — spring and fall most productive
Zone 9	California, Arizona, Louisiana	20 to 30°F	Near year-round	Heat management in summer
Zone 10	Florida, Hawaii	30 to 40°F	Year-round	No cool season — time cool crops for Oct–Feb

Crops Covered in This Planting Calendar

This vegetable planting calendar by zone covers 40–60 crops per zone across all 12 months, organized by season and type:

Warm-season vegetables: Tomato, Bell Pepper, Cucumber, Zucchini, Green Beans, Sweet Corn, Pumpkin, Watermelon, Eggplant, Okra, Cantaloupe, Sweet Potato, Peanut

Cool-season vegetables: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrot, Radish, Peas, Onion, Garlic, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Turnip, Beet, Celery, Leek, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Potato

Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Cilantro, Dill, Fennel, Thyme, Oregano, Mint

Other crops: Asparagus, Strawberry, Sunflower

❌ Why Most Planting Calendars Fail (And How This Tool Fixes It)

Most planting calendars are not wrong. They are just built for the wrong purpose.

They are designed to look comprehensive — and they do. A big grid with months across the top and crops down the side feels authoritative. But look closer, and the problems become obvious.

Problem 1: They treat the whole country as one climate.

A national planting chart that says “plant tomatoes in May” is technically correct for Zone 6 in Pennsylvania. It is also dangerously early for Zone 4 in Vermont, and two months late for Zone 9 in California.

When a calendar has to apply everywhere, it applies accurately nowhere.

The fix: This planting calendar by state and zone generates results for your specific USDA zone — not a national average. A Vermont gardener and a California gardener see completely different planting data, as they should.

Problem 2: They only cover spring.

Most gardening content is written for the March-to-June audience. Fall planting, winter prep, and year-round gardening in Zones 8–10 are treated as afterthoughts — if they are covered at all.

That leaves gardeners flying blind for six months of the year.

The fix: This tool covers all 12 months. Every zone has January through December data. A Zone 9 gardener planning a winter harvest in November gets just as much guidance as a Zone 5 gardener in April.

Problem 3: They never tell you what NOT to plant.

This is the most expensive omission.

A gardener who plants spinach outdoors in Zone 7 in July is going to watch it bolt and die within days. A gardener who puts tomatoes in the ground in Zone 5 in April is going to lose them to a late frost. Generic charts do not warn you. They just tell you when to plant things — never when planting them is a mistake.

The Avoid card in this tool exists specifically for this reason. Every month, for every zone, you see exactly which crops will fail if planted now. It is the feature most gardeners wish they had found before they wasted their first flat of seedlings.

Problem 4: They give you a date, not a decision framework.

A fixed calendar says “plant cucumbers June 1.” But what if June 1 brings a cold snap? What if your soil is still 52°F? What if you are in a microclimate two weeks behind your zone average?

A date tells you nothing. A window — combined with soil temperature awareness — gives you the information to make the right call for your actual conditions, not a printed average.

That is the difference between a calendar and a tool.

This planting calendar by state and zone was built to fix all four of these problems.

Zone-specific data. All 12 months. An Avoid card. Planting windows, not fixed dates.

Free, for every state, every time you need it.

Essential Gardening Tools to Improve Your Results

• Use our crop yield calculator to estimate how much produce you can harvest from your garden this season.
• Plan accurate planting density with the plant spacing calculator to avoid overcrowding and improve yields.
• Check your timing with the frost date planting planner to prevent early planting losses.
• Optimize watering using the plant watering calculator so your crops get exactly what they need.
• Apply the right nutrients with the fertilizer calculator to support healthy plant growth without overfeeding.

Frequently Asked Questions about Planting Date Calendar

Final Thought: Timing Is the Whole Game

The most common reason home gardens underperform is not bad soil, not poor seed quality, and not lack of sunlight.

It is timing. And timing in gardening is everything.

Plant tomatoes two weeks too early in Zone 5 — a late frost sets you back a month.

Plant spinach in Zone 8’s July heat — it bolts before you can harvest a leaf.

Miss the fall garlic window — you wait another full year.

This planting calendar by state and zone removes the guesswork.

It tells you what to plant now, what to start indoors, what to skip this month, and what to harvest — specific to your state, your zone, and the month you are in.

Use it at the start of each month. Use it when you pick up a new seed packet. Use it when you are planning next season. Use it any time you are standing in your backyard wondering what comes next.

Your garden is local. Your planting calendar should be too.

Based on USDA Hardiness Zone data covering all 50 US states. Planting windows reflect established seasonal patterns for Zones 3–10. For hyperlocal frost date data, consult your local cooperative extension office.