Zone 3b planting calendar

What to plant in February: zone 3b

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 3b: last spring frost around May 25, first fall frost around September 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.

These are zone-average dates. Check an area-level frost estimate from thirty years of nearby weather history and this calendar retimes itself.
Typical last frost: May 25
Typical first frost: September 15
Winter lows: -35 to -30 °F
Zone 3b Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Plan & order

  • Inventory and order seed3 sowings: Feb 2 and Feb 9 and Feb 16

    Sort what you already have, toss anything over 3 years old, and order early while varieties are in stock. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

Dormant care

  • Sharpen and oil toolsaround Feb 23

    Clean, sharpen and oil blades while there's time. Dull tools bruise plants and slow you down.

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