USDA zone · Zone 7
Zone 7 planting calendar
Zone 7 runs from the mid-Atlantic to the southern Plains: a last frost around mid-April, a first frost around mid-October, and roughly 180–200 frost-free days. The calendar below is a typical year; move each row a week or two to fit your local normals.
Zone7
FrostLast frost mid-April · first frost mid-October
ClimateHumid continental
RegionUS Northeast
Months12
| Month | Sow | Plant out | Tend / harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | Onion and leek seed indoors | Bare-root trees if the ground is workable | Order seed, prune dormant fruit trees, service tools |
| Feb | Celery and celeriac indoors | Bare-root hedges and roses | Chit potatoes, take a soil test, lime if needed |
| Mar | Tomato and pepper indoors; spinach, radish outdoors | Onion sets, peas, hardy greens | Mulch beds, set supports, watch for late frost |
| Apr | Beet, carrot, lettuce outdoors | Broccoli and cabbage transplants; seed potatoes | Harden off seedlings, cover tender crops on frost nights |
| May | Bean, squash and corn after the last frost | Tomato, pepper and basil after mid-May | Stake, water deeply, hoe weeds while small |
| Jun | Succession lettuce, radish and bush beans | Sweet corn, cucumber, melon | Harvest strawberries and peas; water in the morning |
| Jul | Autumn kale, turnip and fall lettuce | Leeks and late cabbage | Harvest beans and zucchini; mulch to hold moisture |
| Aug | Spinach, radish and fall salad | Autumn broccoli and cabbage | Harvest tomatoes; save seed; order garlic |
| Sep | Cover crop and winter spinach | Garlic, shallots and spring bulbs | Harvest winter squash; compost spent beds |
| Oct | Garlic (early in the month) and cover crop | Trees, shrubs and bulbs | First frost arrives; clean up and protect tender plants |
| Nov | Nothing outdoors | Bare-root fruit trees and hedging | Mulch, prune after leaf fall, clean and oil tools |
| Dec | Microgreens indoors | Dormant pruning only | Plan next year's rotation and repair structures |
How to use it. Start with the frost line, not the month name. If your last frost is earlier or later than the one above, shift the spring rows by the same number of weeks. Soil temperature matters more than the date for warm-season crops.
What this calendar assumes
- An open, sunny bed with drainage; shade and wet soil shift every row.
- Typical frost dates for the zone or city, not a specific garden's microclimate.
- Seed and transplant dates for a home garden, not commercial scheduling.
- No heated greenhouse; a polytunnel or conservatory buys two to four weeks at each end.
Check locally
NOAA climate data · USDA NRCS soils. For the US, the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is the zone reference; your state extension service has frost normals for your county.
Related
Horticulture in US Northeast · all calendars · plant spacing chart · soil calculator