When should I plant my seeds?Updated a month ago

Timing for Planting Seeds

The ideal time to plant seeds can vary depending on the type of seed and your local climate. We provide expert guidance on each seed packet regarding the best time to plant seeds, either outside or indoors. This sowing information can also be found on each seed type’s page on our website—click on the “Sowing Info” tab for more information.

We encourage you to find your region’s average first or last frost dates, as this is the basis for our packet guidance. To do so, use a frost date calculator online and enter your zip code. 

We consider your “final” frost date to be the last day in spring when you are likely to have less than a 30-50% chance of frost (32°F or less). Your “first” frost date is the first date in the fall when you’re likely to have more than a 50% chance of frost.

Visit our Sowing Guides for a good generalized timing guideline for most seeds we carry. We have separate guides for indoor and outdoor sowing that estimate how many weeks before/after frost you should start your seeds.

For those using a cover crop to protect the soil in the winter, plant in fall and leave the plants to die back in the winter, then remove them in the late winter/early spring just before transplant time. If using your cover crops for soil remediation purposes or to cover an unused garden space during other seasons, it’s generally best to allow your cover crop to mature fully before taking it down again; for those seasons, planting can occur at any time provided that the weather is amenable to good plant development.

Microgreens and sprouts can be started anytime and provide speedy harvests. These can be grown year-round indoors.

For any additional questions that are not covered here, please contact us at [email protected]. Our horticulturist answers questions as time allows but can be quite busy during the spring and summer, so please be aware that if you’re asking for personalized guidance, we may be unable to fulfill all requests. We do not provide garden planning or design services.