Zone 2a planting calendar

What to plant in May: zone 2a

Zone 2a averages its last spring frost around June 5 and its first fall frost around August 20. Everything below is timed from those two dates, so it stays useful whether you're planting for summer or for a fall harvest.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.

Last frost: June 5

First frost: August 20

Winter lows: -50 to -45 °F

Zone 2a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Garden care

Wake the bedsaround May 1
Turn in compost, cut down cover crops, and let the soil warm two weeks before the first sowing.
Harden off early transplantsaround May 8
Two weeks of increasing outdoor time keeps cold-hardy seedlings from stalling when they go out.

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