Zone 1b planting calendar
What to plant in July: zone 1b
A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 1b: last spring frost around June 15, first fall frost around August 15. Zones are set by winter lows, not frost dates, so two gardens in the same zone can be weeks apart. Measure your ZIP below for dates from your area's own 30-year record.
Typical last frost: June 15
Typical first frost: August 15
Winter lows: -55 to -50 °F
Garden care
- Mulch every bed3 sowings: Jul 6 and Jul 13 and Jul 27
3-4 in of straw or leaves now holds water, blocks weeds, and cools roots for the whole summer. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.
Sow cover crop
- Cover crop (cereal rye + crimson clover)around Jul 16
Sown a month before frost it germinates, holds your soil all winter, and feeds it in spring.
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