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Zone 3A Vegetable Planting Calendar

When can you plant in Zone 3A? In Zone 3A, outdoor sowing opens with cool-season crops like Lettuce and Spinach in April, and warm-season crops like Basil follow after the ~June 1 last frost. The season runs about 101 frost-free days, until ~September 10. The calendar below scores all 35 crops month by month.

Scored per crop from your zone's frost dates, each crop's days-to-maturity, and typical soil temperatures — honestly, including when not to plant.

A zone caveat: USDA zones reflect winter lows, not summer heat — this calendar is a zone-level guide. For timing tuned to your ZIP region, sun, and soil, get your free AI garden plan.

Last frost (50/50 date)

~June 1

First frost (50/50 date)

~September 10

A single frost date is a coin flip dressed up as a fact: these are the 50/50 dates, and about half of years see frost past them. Across 4,330 NOAA stations, frost odds typically stay near 1 in 3 for about a week past the date and don't drop below 1 in 10 until roughly 16 days past it — cautious growers wait those two-plus weeks; gamblers plant on the date and keep row cover handy. The free AI plan reads the real percentile dates for your ZIP region and lets you pick your risk.

Zone 3A Month by Month

The same verdicts as the grid, read as a to-do list. Temperatures are the zone-level model this calendar scores against — your bed's soil thermometer overrules them.

1. January soil ~22°F · highs ~27°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
   Nothing plants this month — order seed, build soil, and plan the beds.
2. February soil ~25°F · highs ~31°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
   Nothing plants this month — order seed, build soil, and plan the beds.
3. March soil ~32°F · highs ~40°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
   Start indoors: Onion and Rosemary. Nothing goes in the ground outdoors.
4. April soil ~43°F · highs ~52°F · 5 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, Peas, and Cilantro. Start indoors: Kale, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Thyme, Oregano, Chives, and Parsley. Risky: Kale, Swiss Chard, Carrot, and Radish and 11 more (soil still cool (~43°F)).
5. May soil ~53°F · highs ~64°F · 20 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Kale, Swiss Chard, Carrot, Radish, Beet, and Broccoli and 9 more. Start indoors: Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Basil, Zucchini, and Cucumber.
6. June soil ~60°F · highs ~74°F · 25 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Basil, Zucchini, Cucumber, Bean, and Sunflower. Last good month for: Onion, Potato, Basil, Zucchini, Cucumber, and Bean and 2 more. Risky: Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, and Corn (short-season varieties only).
7. July soil ~63°F · highs ~77°F · 17 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Carrot and 6 more. Risky: Onion and Parsley (finishes just ahead of first frost).
8. August soil ~60°F · highs ~74°F · 5 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Radish. Risky: Lettuce, Kale, and Peas (finishes just ahead of first frost); Spinach, Arugula, and Cilantro (last sowing before the window closes).
9. September soil ~53°F · highs ~64°F · 5 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Garlic. Last good month for: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives. Risky: Radish (finishes just ahead of first frost).
10. October soil ~43°F · highs ~52°F · 1 of 35 crops in a good window
    Last good month for: Garlic. Risky: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives (soil still cool (~43°F)).
11. November soil ~32°F · highs ~40°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
    Risky: Garlic (shoulder of the garlic window).
12. December soil ~25°F · highs ~31°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
    Nothing plants this month — order seed, build soil, and plan the beds.

When to Start Seeds Indoors vs. Direct Sow in Zone 3A

In Zone 3A, start Onion, Rosemary, Eggplant and other transplants indoors 5–10 weeks before your ~June 1 last frost, then set them out once it passes. Arugula, Bean, Beet and the other direct-sow crops go straight into the bed. Exact indoor start dates for every crop are below.

Planting a fall garden? Count the indoor weeks back from your transplant date instead of the spring frost — the free AI plan's prep runway computes that per plant, including hardening-off days.

How Much Fits in a Zone 3A Season

• 10 of 35 crops have four or more good planting months in Zone 3A.
• Widest windows: Chives (5 months), Oregano (5 months), Rosemary (5 months).
• Tightest windows: Basil (1), Bean (1), Cucumber (1), Sunflower (1), Zucchini (1), Garlic (2) and 3 more — plant these on the first good month, not the last.
• Short-season varieties only: Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, and Corn — the standard varieties don't fit; pick the fastest days-to-maturity on the rack.
• Not recommended in Zone 3A: Cantaloupe, Okra, Pumpkin, Sweet Potato, and Watermelon — no month scores better than off-season.
• Good months per crop in Zone 3A: Chives 5 · Oregano 5 · Rosemary 5 · Thyme 5 · Arugula 4 · Cilantro 4 · Lettuce 4 · Peas 4 · Radish 4 · Spinach 4 · Beet 3 · Broccoli 3 · Cabbage 3 · Carrot 3 · Cauliflower 3 · Kale 3 · Swiss Chard 3 · Garlic 2 · Onion 2 · Parsley 2 · Potato 2 · Basil 1 · Bean 1 · Cucumber 1 · Sunflower 1 · Zucchini 1 · Cantaloupe 0 · Corn 0 · Eggplant 0 · Okra 0 · Pepper 0 · Pumpkin 0 · Sweet Potato 0 · Tomato 0 · Watermelon 0

Zone 3A Planting FAQ