Zone 5b planting calendar

What to plant in June: zone 5b

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 5b: last spring frost around May 5, first fall frost around October 5. 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 5
Typical 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.

Succession sow

  • Bush bean3 sowings: Jun 2 and Jun 16 and Jun 30

    Sowing 2: replant every 14 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Sweet corn3 sowings: Jun 2 and Jun 16 and Jun 30

    Sowing 2: replant every 14 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Cucumber2 sowings: Jun 9 and Jun 30

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Zucchini2 sowings: Jun 9 and Jun 30

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Basil2 sowings: Jun 9 and Jun 30

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

  • Winter squasharound Jun 16

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season.

  • Beetaround Jun 23

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season.

  • Carrotaround Jun 23

    Sowing 2: replant every 21 days so one planting never has to feed you all season.

Direct sow

  • Beetaround Jun 2

    Warm soil: first summer sowing of beet.

  • Carrotaround Jun 2

    Warm soil: first summer sowing of carrot.

Garden care

  • Set up deep watering4 sowings: Jun 2 and Jun 16 and Jun 23 and Jun 30

    Switch to fewer, longer soaks (1-1.5 in/week at the root) instead of daily sprinkles. Sowing again a few weeks later keeps the harvest coming instead of arriving all at once.

Plan & order

  • Order fall seedaround Jun 7

    Fall brassicas and greens get sown in the heat of summer. Have the seed on hand before that window opens.

Start indoors for fall

  • Broccoliaround Jun 10

    Fall broccoli window opens. Sow trays any time in the next four weeks.

  • Kalearound Jun 27

    Fall kale window opens. Sow trays any time in the next four weeks.

Direct sow for fall

  • Parsleyaround Jun 29

    Fall parsley window opens. Sowing now beats the last-minute date by a month of growth.

Turn this into your own calendar

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