Zone 7a planting calendar

What to plant in October: zone 7a

A rule-of-thumb starting point for zone 7a: last spring frost around April 15, first fall frost around October 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.

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: April 15
Typical first frost: October 25
Winter lows: 0 to 5 °F
Zone 7a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Direct sow for fall

  • Radisharound Oct 6

    Counts back 30 days from your first frost. Frost-hardy: light freezes sweeten it.

Plant to overwinter

  • Garlicaround Oct 11

    Cloves go in about two weeks before first frost. They root now, sleep, then bulb next summer.

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