Can I Still Plant It? Planting Deadlines by Zone
A live countdown to your zone's first frost — and the last safe day to plant each crop, sorted by urgency. Pick your zone and see what still fits.
Quick answer · Updated July 2026
You can still plant a crop if its days to maturity — plus a 14-day fall factor — fit before your zone's average first frost. That's the same count-back formula behind our fall planting calendar: first frost − (days to maturity + 14 days). Your zone's page below runs it live against today's date, for every crop we track.
Start with your ZIP code
We'll find your USDA hardiness zone and jump straight to your deadlines — or pick your zone from the grid below.
Planting deadlines for every zone
Zone 1 →
First frost ~Aug 5
Zone 2 →
First frost ~Aug 25
Zone 3 →
First frost ~Sep 20
Zone 4 →
First frost ~Oct 1
Zone 5 →
First frost ~Oct 10
Zone 6 →
First frost ~Oct 25
Zone 7 →
First frost ~Nov 1
Zone 8 →
First frost ~Dec 1
Zone 9 →
First frost ~Dec 20
Zone 10 →
Frost-free — plant year-round
Zone 11 →
Frost-free — plant year-round
Zone 12 →
Frost-free — plant year-round
Zone 13 →
Frost-free — plant year-round
How the deadlines are calculated
Every deadline uses the count-back formula: first frost − (days to maturity + 14-day fall factor). The fall factor matters because seed packets assume spring's lengthening days — late in the season, shorter days and cooling soil slow growth, so crops need the extra two weeks of buffer.
Each zone page also computes a second, tighter deadline from the fast end of each crop's maturity range — so when the safe window has closed, you'll see whether a quick-maturing variety can still make it. First-frost anchors are the midpoints of each zone's average window, the same ones used on our fall planting date tables. Not sure of your zone? Browse the full zone guides.
Planting deadlines: common questions
How do I know if it’s too late to plant a crop?＋
Take the crop’s days to maturity from the seed packet, add a 14-day fall factor, and count backward from your zone’s average first-frost date. If today is on or before the resulting date, there’s still time. Each zone page here runs that math live against today’s date for every crop we track.
What is the 14-day fall factor?＋
Roughly two extra weeks added to a crop’s stated days-to-maturity for late-season sowings. Seed-packet maturities assume spring’s lengthening days; from midsummer on, shortening days and cooling soil slow growth, so crops need the buffer to finish before frost.
What’s the latest crop I can plant before frost?＋
Radishes — they need only about 6 weeks before first frost. Spinach and lettuce follow at 8–9 weeks, turnips at about 10. Garlic is the exception that wants lateness: plant it right around your first frost for harvest next summer.
Can transplants beat a deadline I missed for seeds?＋
Often, yes. A nursery transplant is already 3–6 weeks old, so it effectively rewinds the calendar by that much. Pairing transplants with a quick-maturing variety is the classic way to sneak in a crop after the direct-sowing window has closed.
Do zones 10–13 have planting deadlines?＋
No — those zones are effectively frost-free, so there’s no last safe date to beat. The limiting factor flips from cold to heat: September through December, as temperatures break, is the start of the main growing season, and cool-season crops grow through winter.
How accurate are average first-frost dates?＋
They’re long-term averages, so treat them as a strong guide rather than a guarantee — your microclimate can shift the real date a week or more either way. Cold-hardy crops like kale, spinach, and carrots forgive a late sowing far better than tender crops like beans and squash.