Zone 8a planting calendar

What to plant in March: zone 8a

Zone 8a averages its last spring frost around March 30 and its first fall frost around November 15. 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: March 30
First frost: November 15
Winter lows: 10 to 15 °F
Zone 8a Almanac. What growers here actually recorded: sowing weeks, days to first pick, and yields.

Garden care

Start indoors

  • Lettucearound Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Succession sow every 2 weeks. Harvest outer leaves for a cut-and-come-again supply.

  • Swiss Chardaround Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Cut outer stalks 2 in above the crown and the plant keeps producing from spring into hard frost. One planting can feed a household all season.

  • Okraaround Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Okra wants hot soil, 70F+, or seed rots. Pick pods at 3-4 in every other day: one pod left to toughen tells the plant to stop producing.

  • Bok Choyaround Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Bolts fast once days lengthen past 14 hours. Grow it as an early spring or fall crop, not a summer one.

  • Peanutaround Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Flowers self-pollinate then push a stalk (peg) into the soil to form the pod underground: keep soil loose around the base.

  • Bitter Melonaround Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pick fruit while still green and firm; left to yellow and split, it turns bitter to the point of inedible.

  • Luffa (Vegetable Sponge Gourd)around Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pick young for eating like a squash, or leave on the vine until the skin browns and dries for a bath sponge.

  • Endivearound Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Blanch heads by tying outer leaves shut 2 weeks before harvest to mellow the natural bitterness.

  • Escarolearound Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Broader and milder than curly endive; a light frost sweetens the outer leaves before harvest.

  • New Zealand Spinacharound Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Soak seed 24 hours before sowing to soften the hard seed coat; it thrives in summer heat that bolts true spinach.

  • Bulb Fennel (Florence Fennel)around Mar 2

    4 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Bolts fast in heat or from a check in growth; keep it evenly watered and harvest the bulb once it's baseball-sized, before it flowers.

  • Cucumberaround Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Trellis vertically to double yield in the same footprint and cut mildew.

  • Zucchiniaround Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). One plant feeds a family. Pick at 6-8 in for the sweetest fruit.

  • Winter squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Cure 10 days in a warm dry spot after harvest. The skin toughens and storage doubles.

  • Watermelonaround Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Ripe = tendril nearest the fruit is brown and the ground spot has turned buttery yellow.

  • Cantaloupe / Melonaround Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Ripe fruit slips off the vine with a gentle tug. The smell alone tells you.

  • Pumpkinaround Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Count back 100 days from your first frost to time a Halloween harvest. Cure cut pumpkins in the sun for 10 days and leave 3 in of stem so they store for months.

  • Honeydew Melonaround Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Unlike cantaloupe, honeydew doesn't slip from the vine when ripe; judge by a faint sweet smell and a slight give at the blossom end.

  • Butternut Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). One of the best keepers: cure in the sun 10 days, then store at 55F and it holds for 3-6 months.

  • Acorn Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Ripe rind resists a fingernail poke and the ground spot has turned orange; harvest before frost damages the skin.

  • Spaghetti Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Rind should be uniformly pale yellow, not white or green, before harvest; underripe fruit shreds mushy instead of stringy.

  • Hubbard Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Needs the most space of any winter squash; give it a full corner of the garden or let it run into the lawn edge.

  • Kabocha Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Cure 1-2 weeks after harvest; the starchy flesh actually sweetens in storage over the following month.

  • Delicata Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). The skin is thin enough to eat, so skip the long cure other winter squash need; use it within a month or two of harvest.

  • Patty Pan Squasharound Mar 9

    3 weeks of indoor growth before your last frost (03-30). Pick at 2-3 in across, like a baby zucchini: past golf-ball size the skin toughens fast.

Direct sow

  • Lettucearound Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Spinacharound Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Radisharound Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Turniparound Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Arugulaaround Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Mizunaaround Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Tatsoiaround Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Mustard Greensaround Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Broccoli Raabaround Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Shallotaround Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Endivearound Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Escarolearound Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Orach (Mountain Spinach)around Mar 2

    Soil is ready -4 weeks before last frost.

  • Carrotaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Kalearound Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Beetaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Onionaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Broccoliaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Chivesaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Kohlrabiaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Bok Choyaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Scallion (Green Onion)around Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Parsniparound Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Salsifyaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Lentilaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Sorrelaround Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Flax (Seed)around Mar 9

    Soil is ready -3 weeks before last frost.

  • Potatoaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Cilantroaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Parsleyaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Swiss Chardaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Collardsaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Burdock (Gobo)around Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Watercressaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Bulb Fennel (Florence Fennel)around Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Chamomile (German)around Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Carawayaround Mar 16

    Soil is ready -2 weeks before last frost.

  • Chickpea (Garbanzo)around Mar 23

    Soil is ready -1 weeks before last frost.

  • Quinoaaround Mar 23

    Soil is ready -1 weeks before last frost.

  • Dillaround Mar 30

    Soil is ready 0 weeks after last frost.

Transplant out

  • Asparagusaround Mar 2

    Goes out 4 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Horseradisharound Mar 2

    Goes out 4 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Kalearound Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Broccoliaround Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Chivesaround Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Strawberryaround Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Kohlrabiaround Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Bok Choyaround Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Scallion (Green Onion)around Mar 9

    Goes out 3 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Lettucearound Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Onionaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Parsleyaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Mintaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Cabbagearound Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Caulifloweraround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Swiss Chardaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Collardsaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Leekaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Napa Cabbagearound Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Romanescoaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Endivearound Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Escarolearound Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Radicchioaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Sorrelaround Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Bulb Fennel (Florence Fennel)around Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

  • Chamomile (German)around Mar 16

    Goes out 2 weeks before last frost. It takes the cold.

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