Planting calendar
Zone 3 Planting Calendar: What to Plant Each Month
Last updated July 31, 2026
Zone 3 runs winter lows of -40 to -30°F, and is conventionally taken to average its last spring frost around May 15 and its first fall frost around September 15 — about 123 frost-free days. One of the shortest growing seasons in the continental US. Short-season varieties and transplants matter more here than anywhere else.
Sow frost-tolerant crops (peas, spinach, radishes, lettuce, kale, carrots) 6 to 2 weeks before May 15. Plant warm-season crops (beans, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers) 1 to 3 weeks after it. Sow a second round of greens and roots about 10 to 12 weeks before September 15.
Typical regions in zone 3: Northern Minnesota, northern North Dakota, interior Alaska, high-elevation Rockies.
Month by month in zone 3
6 of the 12 months have something to plant in zone 3. Rows marked re-sow are succession sowings — the same crop planted again every 14 days for a continuous harvest, up to the last date it can still mature before September 15.
March
| Crop | What to do | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Onion | Start indoors | March 6 - March 20 |
| Pepper | Start indoors | March 6 - March 20 |
| Tomato | Start indoors | March 20 - April 3 |
April
| Crop | What to do | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Cucumber | Start indoors | April 17 - April 24 |
| Kale | Start indoors | April 3 - April 17 |
| Tomato | Start indoors | March 20 - April 3 |
| Carrot | Direct sow outdoors | April 24 - May 1 |
| Kale | Direct sow outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Direct sow outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Peas | Direct sow outdoors | April 3 - April 17 |
| Radish | Direct sow outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Spinach | Direct sow outdoors | April 3 - April 17 |
| Onion | Transplant outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Spinach | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing July 13 |
May
| Crop | What to do | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Bush beans | Direct sow outdoors | May 22 - May 29 |
| Carrot | Direct sow outdoors | April 24 - May 1 |
| Carrot | Direct sow for a fall crop | May 30 - June 13 |
| Cucumber | Direct sow outdoors | May 29 - June 5 |
| Kale | Direct sow outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Direct sow outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Radish | Direct sow outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Zucchini | Direct sow outdoors | May 29 - June 5 |
| Onion | Transplant outdoors | April 17 - May 1 |
| Pepper | Transplant outdoors | May 29 - June 5 |
| Tomato | Transplant outdoors | May 22 - May 29 |
| Carrot | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing June 13 |
| Kale | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing June 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing July 8 |
| Radish | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing August 2 |
| Spinach | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing July 13 |
June
| Crop | What to do | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Carrot | Direct sow for a fall crop | May 30 - June 13 |
| Cucumber | Direct sow outdoors | May 29 - June 5 |
| Kale | Direct sow for a fall crop | June 14 - June 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Direct sow for a fall crop | June 24 - July 8 |
| Peas | Direct sow for a fall crop | June 9 - June 23 |
| Spinach | Direct sow for a fall crop | June 29 - July 13 |
| Zucchini | Direct sow outdoors | May 29 - June 5 |
| Pepper | Transplant outdoors | May 29 - June 5 |
| Bush beans | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing July 3 |
| Carrot | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing June 13 |
| Kale | Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat | last sowing June 28 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat | last sowing July 8 |
| Radish | Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat | last sowing August 2 |
| Spinach | Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat | last sowing July 13 |
July
| Crop | What to do | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Lettuce (leaf) | Direct sow for a fall crop | June 24 - July 8 |
| Radish | Direct sow for a fall crop | July 19 - August 2 |
| Spinach | Direct sow for a fall crop | June 29 - July 13 |
| Bush beans | Re-sow every 14 days | last sowing July 3 |
| Radish | Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat | last sowing August 2 |
| Spinach | Re-sow every 14 days may bolt in heat | last sowing July 13 |
August
| Crop | What to do | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Radish | Direct sow for a fall crop | July 19 - August 2 |
Nothing to sow outdoors in January, February, September, October, November, December in zone 3. Crops already in the ground keep growing and keep being harvested. Use the time to plan beds, order seed, build a compost pile, or start long-season crops under a light indoors.
Every crop, sowing to harvest
One row per crop, with the indoor start where it applies, the outdoor planting window, the second fall sowing where the season allows it, and the earliest realistic harvest.
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant outdoors | Fall sowing | Re-sow until | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radish | - | Direct sow outdoors: April 17 - May 1 | July 19 - August 2 | August 2 | May 9 - May 17 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | - | Direct sow outdoors: April 17 - May 1 | June 24 - July 8 | July 8 | June 1 - June 11 |
| Spinach | - | Direct sow outdoors: April 3 - April 17 | June 29 - July 13 | July 13 | May 13 - May 23 |
| Bush beans | - | Direct sow outdoors: May 22 - May 29 | - | July 3 | July 11 - July 21 |
| Zucchini | - | Direct sow outdoors: May 29 - June 5 | - | - | July 13 - July 23 |
| Kale | April 3 - April 17 | Direct sow outdoors: April 17 - May 1 | June 14 - June 28 | June 28 | June 6 - June 21 |
| Peas | - | Direct sow outdoors: April 3 - April 17 | June 9 - June 23 | - | June 2 - June 12 |
| Carrot | - | Direct sow outdoors: April 24 - May 1 | May 30 - June 13 | June 13 | June 28 - July 13 |
| Cucumber | April 17 - April 24 | Direct sow outdoors: May 29 - June 5 | - | - | July 23 - August 2 |
| Tomato | March 20 - April 3 | Transplant outdoors: May 22 - May 29 | - | - | July 21 - August 15 |
| Pepper | March 6 - March 20 | Transplant outdoors: May 29 - June 5 | - | - | August 7 - August 27 |
| Onion | March 6 - March 20 | Transplant outdoors: April 17 - May 1 | - | - | July 26 - August 15 |
Growing in zone 3
One of the shortest growing seasons in the continental US. Short-season varieties and transplants matter more here than anywhere else.
Soil beats calendar. Extension guidance for the hardiest crops is “as soon as the soil can be worked” or “as soon as the soil thaws” — not a fixed date. If you cannot crumble a handful of soil in your fist, wait, whatever the table says. Warm-season crops have a matching rule: beans want 60°F soil, cucumbers and squash 70°F.
This matters most in zone 3. The earliest spring windows above assume the ground has thawed and is workable, and in a late spring it may still be frozen or waterlogged on those dates. A raised bed, which warms 2 to 3 weeks earlier than open ground, is the reliable way to hit the early dates here.
About the bolting warnings. Cool-season crops run to seed and turn bitter in summer heat. The “may bolt in heat” flag above is a rough calendar rule — mid-June to the start of September, the same window across the whole country — because a hardiness zone carries no summer-temperature information at all. In zone 3 treat it as cautious; summers here are mild enough that midsummer sowings often succeed.
Where these dates come from. A USDA hardiness zone describes average annual extreme minimum WINTER temperature — it is a winter-survival rating for perennials, not a frost-date band. The frost dates below are widely-used approximations for each zone, not official USDA figures, and a single zone spans hundreds of miles. Treat them as a default guess and replace them with your own local averages wherever you have them.
You can enter your own frost dates in the interactive calendar and every window on it recalculates from your numbers. Look up your local averages on the NOAA last-spring-freeze map. Note that an “average” frost date is the point where the chance of freezing drops below 50 percent, so for tender crops it is worth waiting a week or two past it.
Other zones: zone 4 , zone 5 , zone 6 , zone 7 , zone 8 , zone 9 , zone 10 . Or use the interactive calendar to check a single month.
Zone 3 questions
When is the last frost in zone 3?
Zone 3 is conventionally taken to average its last spring frost around May 15 and its first fall frost around September 15, giving roughly 123 frost-free days. Be aware that a hardiness zone is defined by winter minimum temperature, not by frost dates — these are widely-used approximations, not official USDA figures. Get your real dates from the NOAA freeze-date map or your county cooperative extension office.
What can I plant now in zone 3?
Use the month-by-month table on this page. The pattern is: frost-tolerant crops like peas, spinach and radishes go in 6 to 2 weeks before May 15; warm-season crops like beans, zucchini and tomatoes go in 1 to 3 weeks after it; and cool-season crops get a second sowing about 10 to 12 weeks before September 15.
Can I grow tomatoes in zone 3?
Yes. In zone 3, start tomato seed indoors 6 to 8 weeks before May 15 or buy a seedling, then transplant 1 to 2 weeks after the last frost once nights stay above 50°F. With 123 frost-free days there is enough season for early and mid-season varieties, though large beefsteak types are a gamble — choose cherry or early varieties rated under 70 days.
How many harvests can I get in zone 3?
One main round plus a tight fall sowing of the fastest crops. Radishes, spinach and lettuce can still be squeezed in after an early crop comes out.
Does a raised bed change these dates in zone 3?
Yes, in spring. A raised bed warms 2 to 3 weeks earlier than open ground, so you can bring the early sowings forward by up to two weeks. Autumn dates are unchanged, since the first frost arrives on the same day regardless of your setup.
Keep going
The 10 easiest vegetables for beginners
Ranked by how hard they are to kill, with days to harvest for each.
Raised beds vs containers vs in-ground
Cost, effort and yield compared, so you can pick a setup in one sitting.
Starting seeds indoors
What you actually need, the timeline that works, and how to harden off.