Gardening Guides
Longer reads on how planting zones, frost dates, and planting calendars actually work, and how to use them in your garden. Or find your zone by ZIP.
For dated seasonal posts, gear picks and zone news, see the gardening blog.
First Frost Date by Zone (What It Means and How to Beat It)
Your first frost date is a 50 percent probability, not a deadline. What the number actually measures, first frost dates for every USDA zone, and what row cover, mulch and water really buy you.
Read the guide Fall Planting Calendar by Zone (Sow-By Dates for Every USDA Zone)
Fall planting runs backward from your first frost, not forward from a date. The formula, the days-before-frost number for 13 crops, and sow-by dates for every USDA zone.
Read the guide When to Plant Garlic by Zone (Fall Planting Dates + Harvest)
Garlic goes in around your first frost, not before it. Planting windows and harvest dates for every USDA zone, hardneck vs softneck by climate, and depth, spacing and mulch.
Read the guide Hardening Off Seedlings: A 7-Day Schedule Keyed to Your Last Frost
Hardening off takes 7 to 10 days, not one afternoon. What it does to a seedling physically, a day-by-day schedule, and start dates by zone for tender and hardy crops.
Read the guide Winter Sowing: How to Start Seeds Outdoors in Milk Jugs (and What Not to Sow)
Winter sowing means sowing seeds outdoors in translucent containers in winter and letting them germinate on their own schedule. The method, the zone-by-zone timing, and what not to sow.
Read the guide Last Frost Date by Zone: What It Means and What You Can Plant Before It
Your last frost date is a 50 percent probability, not a guarantee. What the number means, last frost dates for every USDA zone, and which vegetables tolerate frost enough to plant early.
Read the guide When to Start Seeds Indoors by Zone (Dated Chart for 24 Crops)
The real rule is weeks before your last frost, and the count differs by crop. Dated seed starting charts for tomatoes, peppers, onions and 21 more, zone by zone.
Read the guide Companion Planting Chart for the Vegetable Garden (24 Crops, With Timing by Zone)
A companion planting chart for 24 vegetables: what to plant together, what to keep apart, why, and the sow and transplant dates that make it actually work.
Read the guide USDA Planting Zones Explained (Find Yours by ZIP)
What USDA hardiness zones mean, how the 2023 map update changed them, how to read 7a vs 7b, and how to actually use your zone to plan planting.
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