Enter your ZIP code to see your growing zone, your frost dates, a calendar of yard and pine straw jobs timed to them, and the plants university extension guides recommend for your area. Every date and every plant comes with its source.
Yard and pine straw jobs and what to plant, month by month, soonest first, each timed from your zone's frost dates.
Each USDA hardiness zone has its own frost dates and its own rhythm for planting, mulching and putting the yard to bed. Pick yours to see its calendar and plants.
Last frost typically May 18 ยท first frost typically Sep 23
Zone 3 is the cold north โ northern Minnesota, North Dakota, high mountain valleys and interior Alaska โ where winter lows reach -40ยฐF and the growing season is short. Every task here is squeezed between a late last freeze and an early first freeze.
Zone 3 calendar & plants →Last frost typically May 10 ยท first frost typically Sep 30
Zone 4 covers the upper Midwest, northern New England, and much of the Mountain West above the plains, with winter lows to -30ยฐF. Short, intense growing seasons reward planning around the frost windows rather than the calendar.
Zone 4 calendar & plants →Last frost typically May 3 ยท first frost typically Oct 7
Zone 5 runs from New England across the Great Lakes and the northern plains to the Colorado Front Range, with winter lows to -20ยฐF. Late spring freezes are common, so frost-anchored timing matters more here than almost anywhere.
Zone 5 calendar & plants →Last frost typically Apr 26 ยท first frost typically Oct 19
Zone 6 spans the mid-Atlantic, the lower Midwest, the Ohio Valley and much of the interior West, with winter lows to -10ยฐF. A true four-season zone: a spring refresh and a fall refresh are both on the calendar.
Zone 6 calendar & plants →Last frost typically Apr 11 ยท first frost typically Oct 28
Zone 7 takes in the mid-South, the Piedmont, the Ozarks and the lower Front Range, with winter lows near 0ยฐF. Real winters, long growing seasons, and pine straw beds that earn a spring and a fall top-up.
Zone 7 calendar & plants →Last frost typically Mar 24 ยท first frost typically Nov 10
Zone 8 is the heart of pine straw country โ the Southeast from the Carolinas through Georgia to Texas, plus the Pacific Northwest lowlands โ with winter lows of 10โ20ยฐF. Frost is seasonal but brief; mulch works year-round.
Zone 8 calendar & plants →Last frost typically Feb 23 ยท first frost typically Dec 3
Zone 9 covers the Gulf Coast, central Florida, coastal Texas and much of California, with winter lows of 20โ30ยฐF. Freezes are occasional and short, so the calendar leans on heat and rainfall more than on frost.
Zone 9 calendar & plants →Last frost typically Jan 16 ยท first frost typically Jan 4
Zone 10 is South Florida, the Gulf's warmest edges, and coastal Southern California, with winter lows of 30โ40ยฐF. Frost is rare; the year is organized around the wet and dry seasons, and mulch is mostly about moisture and weeds.
Zone 10 calendar & plants →Frost-free in most years
Zone 11 is essentially frost-free โ the Florida Keys, a sliver of the California coast, and lowland Hawaii โ with winter lows of 40โ50ยฐF. There is no freeze to anchor to, so tasks run on the wet/dry calendar instead.
Zone 11 calendar & plants →