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Zone 6B Vegetable Planting Calendar

When can you plant in Zone 6B? In Zone 6B, outdoor sowing opens with cool-season crops like Lettuce and Spinach in April, and warm-season crops like Tomato follow after the ~April 15 last frost. The season runs about 188 frost-free days, until ~October 20. 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)

~April 15

First frost (50/50 date)

~October 20

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 6B 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 ~40°F · highs ~43°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
   Nothing plants this month — order seed, build soil, and plan the beds.
2. February soil ~42°F · highs ~46°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
   Start indoors: Onion, Pepper, Eggplant, Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Chives, and Parsley. Nothing goes in the ground outdoors.
3. March soil ~48°F · highs ~54°F · 0 of 35 crops in a good window
   Start indoors: Lettuce, Kale, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Tomato, Basil, Zucchini, Cucumber, Pumpkin, Okra, Sweet Potato, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe. Nothing goes in the ground outdoors.
4. April soil ~55°F · highs ~66°F · 20 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Swiss Chard, Arugula, and Carrot and 14 more. Last good month for: Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, Cilantro, and Parsley.
5. May soil ~62°F · highs ~77°F · 22 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Tomato, Basil, Zucchini, Cucumber, Bean, and Corn and 1 more. Risky: Lettuce, Spinach, Arugula, and Cilantro and 1 more (last sowing before the window closes).
6. June soil ~67°F · highs ~85°F · 26 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Pepper, Eggplant, Pumpkin, and Sweet Potato. Last good month for: Pumpkin and Sweet Potato. Risky: Okra, Watermelon, and Cantaloupe (soil still cool (~67°F)).
7. July soil ~69°F · highs ~88°F · 26 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Okra and Cantaloupe. Last good month for: Potato, Tomato, Pepper, Eggplant, Basil, and Cucumber and 5 more.
8. August soil ~67°F · highs ~85°F · 15 of 35 crops in a good window
   Last good month for: Swiss Chard, Carrot, Beet, Broccoli, Cabbage, and Cauliflower and 2 more. Risky: Potato (finishes just ahead of first frost).
9. September soil ~62°F · highs ~77°F · 11 of 35 crops in a good window
   Opens: Spinach, Arugula, Cilantro, and Garlic. Last good month for: Spinach, Kale, Arugula, Peas, and Cilantro. Risky: Lettuce, Swiss Chard, Carrot, and Beet and 2 more (finishes just ahead of first frost).
10. October soil ~55°F · highs ~66°F · 6 of 35 crops in a good window
    Last good month for: Radish and Garlic. Risky: Spinach, Arugula, and Cilantro (finishes just ahead of first frost).
11. November soil ~48°F · highs ~54°F · 4 of 35 crops in a good window
    Last good month for: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, and Chives. Risky: Garlic (shoulder of the garlic window).
12. December soil ~42°F · highs ~46°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 6B

In Zone 6B, start Onion, Rosemary, Eggplant and other transplants indoors 5–10 weeks before your ~April 15 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 6B Season

• 16 of 35 crops have four or more good planting months in Zone 6B.
• Widest windows: Chives (8 months), Oregano (8 months), Rosemary (8 months).
• Tightest windows: Cantaloupe (1), Lettuce (1), Okra (1), Parsley (1), Pumpkin (1), Sweet Potato (1) and 6 more — plant these on the first good month, not the last.
• Good months per crop in Zone 6B: Chives 8 · Oregano 8 · Rosemary 8 · Thyme 8 · Radish 7 · Kale 6 · Peas 6 · Beet 5 · Broccoli 5 · Cabbage 5 · Carrot 5 · Cauliflower 5 · Onion 5 · Swiss Chard 5 · Potato 4 · Zucchini 4 · Basil 3 · Bean 3 · Corn 3 · Cucumber 3 · Sunflower 3 · Tomato 3 · Arugula 2 · Cilantro 2 · Eggplant 2 · Garlic 2 · Pepper 2 · Spinach 2 · Cantaloupe 1 · Lettuce 1 · Okra 1 · Parsley 1 · Pumpkin 1 · Sweet Potato 1 · Watermelon 0

Zone 6B Planting FAQ