When to Plant Vegetables

Written & researched by Elena Marsh Gardening & Landscaping Editor

Updated May 2026

Knowing when to plant vegetables comes down to two dates — your average last spring frost and your average first fall frost — with every crop timed as an offset from them. Cool-season crops go in 2 to 6 weeks before the last frost, warm-season crops 1 to 3 weeks after it once the soil warms, and fall crops are counted backward from the first frost. This master guide walks through the offsets, the soil temperatures that actually trigger germination in °F, and the indoor-start timing that ties it all together.

We do not test or physically handle the plants and products we cover; our guidance draws on horticultural extension research and the aggregated experience in thousands of owner reviews, as explained in how we rank.

Find your two frost dates before planting vegetables

Before any crop can be scheduled, you need your local frost window. The average last spring frost is the point after which killing frosts become unlikely; the average first fall frost is when cold returns. The days between them are your frost-free season, from under 100 days in the far north to nearly year-round on the mild coasts.

These are averages, not guarantees — roughly half of years will see a frost slightly after the "last" date. That is why gardeners keep frost protection on hand for tender crops even a week or two after the average date. Every offset below is measured from these two anchors.

It is worth knowing your frost dates as a small range rather than a single day. Many gardeners track both the average last frost and the "90 percent safe" date, a week or two later, after which frost becomes genuinely unlikely. Cool-season crops that shrug off a light frost can go in around the average date, while tender crops with no frost tolerance are better held until the safer date, or protected if you gamble on planting early. Local factors shift these dates too: a low spot where cold air pools frosts later in spring and earlier in fall than a slope or a spot near a warm wall, so two beds in the same yard can effectively sit in slightly different seasons.

Cool-season crops: before the last frost

Cool-season vegetables tolerate frost, so they go in weeks before the last frost date, timed by how hardy each crop is. The full category is covered in cool season vegetables.

Warm-season crops: after the last frost

Warm-season vegetables are killed by frost and need warm soil, so they go in after the last frost, not on it. See warm season vegetables for the full group.

Let soil temperature confirm the date

The calendar is a proxy for soil temperature, which is what seeds actually obey. Check the soil before sowing.

If soil is below the minimum, seeds sit and rot rather than sprout — the reason "on-schedule" beans in cold May soil fail while a sowing two weeks later thrives.

Counting back for indoor seed starts

Some crops need a head start indoors, timed by counting back from the last frost.

• 10 to 12 weeks before last frost — onions, leeks, celery.
• 8 to 10 weeks before — peppers, eggplant.
• 6 to 8 weeks before — tomatoes, tomatillos.
• 4 to 6 weeks before — broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, lettuce.
• 2 to 4 weeks before — cucumbers, squash, melons.

Harden off every indoor-grown seedling over 7 to 10 days before it goes out, or the shock of full sun and wind sets it back. Beyond the crops listed, remember that a transplant is only as good as its timing at both ends: started on schedule, it reaches the perfect stocky, well-rooted stage exactly as the outdoor conditions allow it to go in. Started too early, it outgrows its container and stalls; too late, it goes out undersized and never catches up. Marking each indoor-start date on a calendar the moment you know your last frost is the single most reliable way to keep the whole timing chain on track.

Timing the fall garden in reverse

Fall planting runs backward from the first fall frost. Take a crop's days to maturity, add about 14 days as a "fall factor" for shortening days, and count back from the first frost to get the latest safe sowing date. A 60-day broccoli with an October 15 first frost should be started by about August 1. Hardy crops can be pushed later because they keep growing slowly and survive past frost. The full fall approach is in what to plant in fall.

When to plant vegetables across different zones

The offsets stay the same; only the dates they land on change. For the whole year laid out as a grid, use the vegetable planting calendar, and for the season-by-season lists see what to plant in spring and what to plant in fall.

Vegetable planting rules worth remembering

• Everything hangs on your two frost dates — confirm them before anything else.
• Trust the soil thermometer over the calendar for germination.
• Don't plant warm crops early — cold soil sets them back further than waiting would.
• Mark indoor-start dates now — they arrive weeks before outdoor work begins.
• Plan the fall garden in summer — its sowing dates fall while summer crops still produce.

Related: the vegetable planting calendar, the Seeds & Vegetable Growing hub, and how we rank.