Zone 5b planting calendar

What to plant in February: zone 5b

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

Dormant care

  • Sharpen and oil toolsaround Feb 3

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

  • Prune dormant fruit treesaround Feb 17

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

Start indoors

  • Sow microgreens indoorsaround Feb 10

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

  • Start onions and leeks indoorsaround Feb 24

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

  • Onionaround Feb 24

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

  • Leekaround Feb 24

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-05). 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.

  • Celeryaround Feb 24

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-05). Celery is a water crop: it turns stringy and bitter the moment it dries out. Keep soil consistently moist and feed steadily. Homegrown stalks are thinner and far more flavorful than store celery.

  • Lavenderaround Feb 24

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-05). Lean, gritty, well-drained soil and no coddling. Plant on a slight mound, skip the fertilizer, and prune a third of the plant after bloom to stop it going woody.

  • Celeriacaround Feb 24

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-05). Needs a long, steady season: start indoors early and keep soil evenly moist the entire time or the knob stays small.

  • Habanero Pepperaround Feb 24

    10 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (05-05). Needs more heat and a longer season than bell peppers; start indoors early and don't rush it outside until nights stay above 55F.

Direct sow

  • Rutabagaaround Feb 10

    Soil is ready -12 weeks before last frost.

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