Zone 3a planting calendar
What to plant in December: zone 3a
A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 3a: last spring frost around May 30, first fall frost around September 10. 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: May 30
Typical first frost: September 10
Winter lows: -40 to -35 °F
A quiet month in zone 3a
December is a rest-and-plan month here. Use it to order seed, test your soil, repair beds, and map next season's rotation, then jump ahead to January.
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