What to plant in February: zone 4b
A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 4b: last spring frost around May 15, first fall frost around September 25. 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.
Plan & order
- Soil testaround Feb 6
A $20 test now tells you what to amend before planting instead of guessing all season.
Dormant care
- Sharpen and oil toolsaround Feb 13
Clean, sharpen and oil blades while there's time. Dull tools bruise plants and slow you down.
- Prune dormant fruit treesaround Feb 27
Prune apples, pears and peaches while fully dormant. Open the center, remove crossing wood.
Start indoors
- Sow microgreens indoorsaround Feb 20
A tray on the windowsill gives you a cut of fresh greens every 10-14 days through the cold months.
Direct sow
- Rutabagaaround Feb 20
Soil is ready 12 weeks before last frost.
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