When to plant your garden this spring

Want to find the best time to plant your garden? Not sure how to time it so that plants avoid frost damage? Even seasoned gardeners can find it challenging to decide when to plant. With the considerations below and a little bit of luck, your garden will be off to a great start.

Find your last frost date

At Rachio, we suggest using a Last Frost Date calculator (like this one) to determine the likely date of the last spring frost in your area. Since many vegetables and fruits grown in the garden tend to be sensitive to frost and freezing temperatures, it’s an excellent idea to save your planting for after this last frost date.

For example in Denver, Colorado, the average last frost date is usually around May 4. If you’re installing a garden in that area, you would want to wait until at least that date to put most of your plants in the ground (even later, if you want to have a better chance of protecting them from damaging cold). Many cautious gardeners will even wait 3-4 weeks after their last frost date to ensure their crops have a better chance of beating the cold.

Locate your hardiness zone

Plant hardiness zones are based on average minimum temperatures in a given area. Your hardiness zone number can tell you what plants can grow in your climate and which ones to avoid.

We suggest using the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map to enter your zip code and find your zone number. Zone numbers range from 1-13, and each zone number is associated with particular plants that can thrive in that climate. For example, if you live in the coldest zones (zones 1-3), you'll find that heat-loving or cold-sensitive plants don’t fair well in your region or may only grow for a very short period of time.

Consider plant requirements

Plants all have their own needs for healthy growth. Some garden vegetables are more cold-hardy, meaning they can withstand lower temperatures. These veggies (like spinach, cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, and kale) typically prefer starting their time in the garden during cooler (but not cold!), outdoor temperatures – before the heat of summer takes hold.

Warm-weather crops like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and cucumbers are not likely to survive a frost, so it’s imperative that you plant them after the danger of the typical last frost date has subsided.

Seed sowing

If you’re starting plants indoors by growing from seed, pay particular attention to the seed packet’s instructions on when to start inside and when to sow outside. If you live in an area with a colder climate or a shorter growing season, you can get a head start on your garden by planting from seed indoors several weeks before your last frost date.