Zone 3a planting calendar

What to plant in March: zone 3a

Zone 3a averages its last spring frost around May 30 and its first fall frost around September 10. 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: May 30
First frost: September 10
Winter lows: -40 to -35 °F
Zone 3a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Start indoors

  • A tray on the windowsill gives you a cut of fresh greens every 10-14 days through the cold months.

  • Alliums need 10-12 weeks under lights before they go out. The earliest sowing of the year.

  • Onionaround Mar 21

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-30). Match day-length to your latitude. Long-day north of 37°, short-day south.

  • Leekaround Mar 21

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-30). Plant seedlings deep in a 6 in trench and hill soil up the stem twice during the season. That buried length is the tender white shaft you're growing for.

Direct sow

  • Rutabagaaround Mar 7

    Soil is ready -12 weeks before last frost.

Dormant care

  • Prune apples, pears and peaches while fully dormant. Open the center, remove crossing wood.

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