Zone 5a planting calendar

What to plant in February: zone 5a

Zone 5a averages its last spring frost around May 10 and its first fall frost around October 1. 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 10
First frost: October 1
Winter lows: -20 to -15 °F
Zone 5a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Plan & order

  • Soil testaround Feb 1

    A $20 test now tells you what to amend before planting instead of guessing all season.

Dormant care

  • Sharpen and oil toolsaround Feb 8

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

  • Prune dormant fruit treesaround Feb 22

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

Start indoors

  • Sow microgreens indoorsaround Feb 15

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

Direct sow

  • Rutabagaaround Feb 15

    Soil is ready -12 weeks before last frost.

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