Zone 7a Planting Schedule: Simple Calendar for Vegetables and Herbs

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Zone 7a Planting Schedule: Simple Calendar for Vegetables and Herbs

Gardeners from the Philadelphia plain to the lower Hudson Valley use this short planting guide to time the year. The dates below are averages for planning — a 10-day forecast still beats any chart, and coastal beds run a week earlier than inland ones.

Check Your Frost Window

Most people start with a planting calendar for zip code lookup; the good ones are computed from NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals for your exact spot. In this band the local frost dates frame the year: last spring frost around April 15, first fall frost around November 5 — roughly 200 open days between them. For a coastal take, our Long Island month-by-month plan runs about a week behind this chart.

The Month-by-Month List

  • March. Sow seeds of peas, spinach, and radishes from March 13; onion sets follow.
  • April. By April 14, set out broccoli and cabbage under row cover; keep seeding lettuce.
  • May. After the final freeze, transplant tomatoes; a week later it is safe to plant outside: peppers, eggplant, and basil, since tender crops wait for nights above 55°F.
  • June. Green beans, cucumbers, and squash go straight in the ground; companion flowers nearby feed the bees.
  • July. Fall planting begins: broccoli again, plus carrots and beets.
  • August. Move the last brassicas out; mulch deeply.
  • September. Harvest winter squash; garlic goes in late in the month.
  • October. Harvest sweet potatoes early; mulch beds for the cold months ahead.

Start Your Garden

Start seeds indoors for tomatoes in late March — the start-indoors rule of thumb is six weeks before setting out. A printable PDF of this table keeps the dates on the fridge door. New to climate bands? Read our explainer on hardiness zones first.

Frequently Asked Questions

When to plant vegetables from seeds in 2026?

Count back from mid-April: tomatoes six weeks, peppers eight, squash three.

What is the hardest vegetable to grow?

Heading cauliflower: it wants rich soil, steady water, and unbroken cool weather.

What is the 5, 4, 3, 2:1 gardening method?

A daily routine: five minutes observing, four weeds pulled, three rows checked, two beds watered, one small job finished.

What thrives in this climate?

Peas, lettuce, and broccoli in the cool months; tomatoes, peppers, and squash in summer. Fruit trees and berry bushes do well here too — see our guide to kiwi vines for a fun exception.

References & Sources

More information and regional detail from:

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