Zone 5 Planting Schedule: Vegetable Calendar for 5a and 5b

Your zone is a winter low, not a planting date. The USDA zone map rates the average coldest winter night, which tells you which perennials survive. Planting dates come from frost, so the dates below use NOAA frost normals at five zone 5 stations. For yours, enter your ZIP in our frost date calculator; the rules in the crop table let you shift any row.

Last and first frost in zone 5

These are NOAA 1991-2020 normals for a 32 F night at five airports, each the weather station nearest a ZIP that the 2023 USDA map puts in zone 5. Each date is a median: in about half of years the last spring frost comes later. The 1 year in 10 column is the date after which a spring frost comes in only 1 year in 10.

Zone 5 median: last frost Apr 29 (Burlington, VT), first frost Oct 15 (Burlington, VT); 169 frost-free days, the middle of the five in the table. Every date below counts from these two. Inside one zone the last frost still spans Apr 18 to May 4, about 2 weeks, and the first frost Oct 7 to Oct 20, which is why your ZIP beats your zone: enter it in our frost date calculator for the station nearest you.

The zone line does not sort frost dates either: Denver, CO, in zone 6a, has its median last frost on May 5, 17 days later (our count) than Des Moines, IA, in zone 5b (Apr 18).

Zone 5 planting dates by crop

Dates for 31 vegetables at the zone 5 median. The last column is the rule behind each row, in weeks from frost, so you can move any row to your own frost dates. Crop names link to the full growing guide.

Frost-tender crops (basil, cantaloupe, cucumbers, edamame, eggplant, lima beans, okra, peppers, pumpkins, snap beans, summer squash, sweet corn, tomatoes and winter squash) are never dated before the median last frost, even where a source allows a week earlier: at the median, a later frost still comes in half of years. Their last planting also leaves their shortest days to maturity before the median first frost, so it can still ripen (eggplant 100 days, where the source says 14 weeks before first frost). "Our count" is the University of Maryland rule: days to maturity plus 10 to 14 days, back from the first fall frost. "From" means the source gives an opening date and no closing one.

What state extension calendars print for zone 5

The dates above count from frost. Five state extension services in or near zone 5 print their own planting dates, and this table sets them beside ours. They differ mostly by place: Iowa State's dates are for central Iowa, Illinois's for northern Illinois and Wisconsin's for Madison, while Michigan State's months are for zone 6a, to be pushed 1 week later in 5b and 2 weeks later in 5a. Colorado State counts from your last frost, as our table does.

Each cell gives the dated windows the calendar prints (undated advice is quoted only where a calendar has nothing else); the season labels are ours, and a month alone means the whole month. Iowa State's dates are from PM 534 (2013), which HORT 3124 has replaced. Where a calendar and our frost-rule dates disagree, use the one written for the place nearest you, or your own frost dates from the calculator.

Zone 5 vegetable planting calendar, month by month

Each month lists what you can start indoors, set out, sow outdoors and begin to harvest at the zone 5 median. A crop shows in every month its window touches; (fall) marks a fall sowing and (from) a window with an opening date only.

Harvest begins is our count: each planting date plus the shortest days to maturity its source gives, so a crop shows from its earliest possible first picking. Frost-tender crops stop at the first fall frost.

What to plant this month in zone 5

What opens and what closes each month at the zone 5 median. Windows that stay open all month are in the calendar above.

What to plant in January in zone 5

Starts: start broccoli and cabbage indoors from Jan 21.

What to plant in February in zone 5

Starts: start kale indoors from Feb 11; start eggplant and lettuce indoors from Feb 18. Last call: start broccoli and cabbage indoors by Feb 4; start kale indoors by Feb 25.

What to plant in March in zone 5

Starts: start basil, cauliflower, okra, peppers and tomatoes indoors from Mar 4; start cilantro indoors from Mar 18; set out broccoli and cabbage from Mar 18; sow peas, radishes, rutabagas, spinach and turnips outdoors from Mar 18; set out kale from Mar 25; sow kale outdoors from Mar 25. Last call: start lettuce indoors by Mar 4; start cauliflower indoors by Mar 11; start basil, eggplant, okra, peppers and tomatoes indoors by Mar 18.

What to plant in April in zone 5

Starts: start cantaloupe, radicchio and winter squash indoors from Apr 1; start cucumbers, pumpkins, summer squash and sweet corn indoors on Apr 1; set out or sow lettuce from Apr 1; sow arugula, beets, carrots, radicchio and Swiss chard outdoors from Apr 1; set out cauliflower from Apr 8; sow potatoes outdoors from Apr 22; set out basil, cilantro, eggplant, peppers, radicchio and tomatoes from Apr 29; set out or sow cantaloupe, cucumbers, okra, pumpkins, summer squash, sweet corn and winter squash from Apr 29; sow basil, cilantro, edamame, lima beans and snap beans outdoors from Apr 29. Last call: start cilantro indoors by Apr 1; start cantaloupe, radicchio and winter squash indoors by Apr 8. First harvests can start: lettuce, radishes and spinach.

What to plant in May in zone 5

Last call: sow spinach outdoors by May 3; sow kale outdoors by May 13; set out or sow sweet corn by May 20; sow peas outdoors by May 20. First harvests can start: arugula, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, peas, Swiss chard and turnips.

What to plant in June in zone 5

Last call: set out peppers and tomatoes by Jun 18; sow potatoes outdoors by Jun 18; sow turnips outdoors by Jun 21; set out or sow cantaloupe and okra by Jun 25; sow rutabagas outdoors by Jun 25. First harvests can start: basil, cilantro, cucumbers, okra, peppers, radicchio, rutabagas, snap beans, summer squash and winter squash.

What to plant in July in zone 5

Starts: sow fall peas on Jul 23. Last call: set out or sow pumpkins by Jul 2; set out eggplant by Jul 7; set out broccoli and cauliflower by Jul 9; set out cabbage by Jul 16; set out or sow winter squash by Jul 16; sow carrots outdoors by Jul 16; set out or sow cucumbers by Jul 23; sow lima beans and snap beans outdoors by Jul 23; sow edamame outdoors by Jul 27. First harvests can start: cantaloupe, edamame, lima beans, potatoes, radicchio, sweet corn, tomatoes and winter squash.

What to plant in August in zone 5

Starts: sow fall kale from Aug 7; sow fall radicchio from Aug 12; sow fall spinach and turnips from Aug 20; sow fall radishes on Aug 27. Last call: set out or sow summer squash by Aug 6; sow basil outdoors by Aug 6; sow fall kale by Aug 11; sow beets outdoors by Aug 20; sow cilantro outdoors by Aug 26; sow fall radicchio by Aug 29. First harvests can start: eggplant and pumpkins.

What to plant in September in zone 5

Last call: set out or sow lettuce by Sep 3; sow Swiss chard outdoors by Sep 3; sow fall spinach and turnips by Sep 3; sow arugula outdoors by Sep 15. First harvests can start: peas, radishes and spinach.

What to plant in October in zone 5

First harvests can start: kale, radicchio and turnips.

What to plant in November in zone 5

No planting window opens or closes in November at the zone 5 median.

What to plant in December in zone 5

No planting window opens or closes in December at the zone 5 median.

How we worked out these dates

• Stations, not the zone, set the dates. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map rates places by the average coldest winter night (1991-2020); it says nothing about frost dates. We picked five airports whose ZIPs the USDA map puts in zone 5, both halves of the zone included, and took their NOAA 1991-2020 normal dates for a 32 F night at 50 percent probability.
• One date per zone. The zone date is the median of the five stations: the middle value, so it is a real station's date. Last frost Apr 29 (Burlington, VT); first frost Oct 15 (Burlington, VT).
• Crop rules. Every crop date is our frost calculator's output for those two dates, using each crop's rule from Montana State University's MontGuide or the source our crop guide uses. Indoor starts count the weeks to transplant size back from the set-out date, both ends, as MontGuide does.
• Harvest. Harvest begins is our count: each planting date plus the shortest days to maturity the source gives. It is timing only; we make no promise about how much a crop gives.
• Your garden. A low spot, a cold spring or a variety with other days to maturity moves these dates. The frost date calculator gives the dates at the NOAA station nearest your ZIP.

Where the sources disagree

The crop table follows one rule per crop. Other extension services and seed companies time some crops differently:

• Peppers and tomatoes indoors. The table starts both 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost, as Clemson does. Maryland starts pepper seed 8 to 10 weeks before the frost-free date, and some types need 12. For tomatoes, Minnesota and Johnny's count 5 to 6 weeks back from the day the plants go outside.
• Cucumbers and melons. The table opens both at the median last frost. Utah State plants cucumbers once the soil is 65 F; Minnesota and Johnny's wait for 70 F. Minnesota sows melon seed 1 week to 10 days before the last frost if the soil is warm enough, while Johnny's sows 1 to 2 weeks after it, in soil above 70 F.
• Okra. Illinois sows okra about a week to 10 days after the last frost; Maryland waits 2 to 3 weeks, until the soil is 65 F. The table opens at the frost date itself.
• Spinach. MontGuide, behind the table, sows spinach 6 weeks before the last frost. Wisconsin sows about 4 weeks before it and Utah State 2 to 3 weeks before. Utah State sows into 40 F soil; Maryland waits for 45 F.
• Arugula's last sowing. The table stops 30 days before the first frost; Cornell says about a month. Johnny's keeps sowing until 2 to 3 weeks before it.

Finding your own frost dates

1. Enter your ZIP in our frost date calculator. It reads the NOAA 1991-2020 normals at the weather station nearest you; your zone number cannot give you those two dates.
2. Find your crop in the table above and count the weeks in its rule from your own last and first frost.
3. Check the soil before you sow: spinach goes into 40 F soil (Utah State), carrots into 45 F (Maryland), okra into 65 F (Maryland) and cucumbers into 70 F (Minnesota).

More planting guides

• Zone 6 planting schedule
• Zone 7 planting schedule
• Zone 8 planting schedule
• Zone 9 planting schedule
• Brassicas: how to grow kale, cauliflower, turnips and radishes
• Companion planting: what grows well together
• How to grow asparagus, a perennial planted from crowns
• How to grow sprouts indoors, any month of the year
• How to grow onions from seed, sets or transplants
• Frost dates by ZIP code, with a seed-starting calculator

Sources

Every date on this page comes from these sources, read on October 29, 2026.

• NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020 (freeze dates, 32 F, 50 percent probability)
• USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023 (Agricultural Research Service; zone of each station's ZIP)
• Botanical Interests, Arugula Sow and Grow Guide (Internet Archive copy)
• Cornell Garden-Based Learning, Arugula
• University of Illinois Extension, Good Growing: Arugula
• University of Minnesota Extension, Growing basil
• UMass Extension Vegetable Program, Basil
• University of Maryland Extension, Growing Leafy Greens
• Montana State University Extension, MontGuide MT199308AG
• Utah State University Extension, Cilantro/Coriander
• Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Cilantro
• Utah State University Extension, What is Edamame
• Iowa State University Extension, All About Beans
• Utah State University Extension, How to Grow Kale
• Clemson HGIC, Pepper
• Utah State University Extension, How to Grow Chicory
• Johnny's Selected Seeds, Radicchio Key Growing Information
• University of Minnesota Extension, Growing tomatoes
• Clemson HGIC, Tomato
• University of Maryland Extension, Growing Peppers
• Johnny's Selected Seeds, Tomatoes Key Growing Information
• Utah State University Extension, Cucumber
• University of Minnesota Extension, Growing cucumbers
• Johnny's Selected Seeds, Cucumber Key Growing Information
• Johnny's Selected Seeds, Melon Key Growing Information
• University of Minnesota Extension, Growing melons
• University of Illinois Extension, Okra
• University of Maryland Extension, Growing Okra
• University of Wisconsin Extension, Spinach
• Utah State University Extension, Spinach
• University of Maryland Extension, Growing Spinach
• Johnny's Selected Seeds, Arugula Key Growing Information
• University of Maryland Extension, Growing Carrots
• Iowa State University Extension, PM 534 Planting and Harvesting Times for Garden Vegetables (2013, archived copy; replaced by HORT 3124) (extension calendar)
• Michigan State University Extension, Lower Peninsula Michigan Garden Calendar (extension calendar)
• Michigan State University Extension, How to Plant Vegetables (extension calendar)
• Colorado State University Extension, CMG GardenNotes 720, Vegetable Planting Guide (extension calendar)
• University of Illinois Extension, When to Plant in Illinois (northern Illinois) (extension calendar)
• University of Wisconsin Extension, A1653 Vegetable Cultivars and Planting Guide for Wisconsin Gardens (extension calendar)

Frequently asked questions

When should I start seeds indoors in zone 5?

At the zone 5 median, start broccoli and cabbage first, Jan 21 to Feb 4, then kale Feb 11 to Feb 25, then tomatoes and peppers Mar 4 to Mar 18. Each counts back from its set-out day the weeks a transplant needs: 6 to 8 (Clemson, MontGuide), or 5 to 6 for kale (Utah State).

When should I plant tomatoes in zone 5?

Set tomato transplants out in zone 5 from Apr 29, the median last frost, to Jun 18. Start the seeds indoors Mar 4 to Mar 18, 6 to 8 weeks ahead (Clemson). Minnesota Extension says to wait until frost has passed and the soil has warmed, so a cold spring can push planting later.

When should I plant potatoes in zone 5?

Plant seed potatoes in zone 5 from Apr 22 to Jun 18. MontGuide's window runs from 1 week before the last frost to 17 weeks before the first, here counted from zone 5's median dates, Apr 29 and Oct 15. MontGuide gives potatoes 80 to 140 days. For your own dates, enter your ZIP in our frost date calculator.

When should I plant carrots in zone 5?

Sow carrots outdoors in zone 5 from Apr 1 to Jul 16. MontGuide's window opens 4 weeks before the last frost (Apr 29 at the zone 5 median) and closes 13 weeks before the first (Oct 15). Carrots take 60 to 80 days, so the last sowing is ready Sep 14 to Oct 4.

What should I plant in July in zone 5?

In July in zone 5, keep sowing arugula, cilantro, summer squash and Swiss chard outdoors: their windows stay open past July 31 at the zone's median frost dates. Some close this month: pumpkins by Jul 2; carrots and winter squash by Jul 16. The calendar above lists every crop by month.