§ When to plant · Pennsylvania · Checked Sept 2026

When to plant vegetables in Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, tender crops like tomatoes and peppers can go out around April 11, and frost has historically passed 9 years in 10 by April 23. Cool-season crops go in from March, and again from July for fall.

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§ 010 · Frost dates

Frost dates across Pennsylvania

Based on NOAA's 1991–2020 station records, with adjustments for tender crops.

City · NOAA station	Last frost, on average	Plant tender crops from	Frost is over, 9 of 10 years by	Fall frost possible from
AllentownALLENTOWN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT · 7 km	Apr 20	May 4May 4	May 18	Oct 8
AltoonaALTOONA 3 W · 6 km	Apr 25	May 9May 9	May 22	Oct 5
Bethel ParkPITTSBURGH ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT · 10 km	Apr 18	May 3May 3	May 17	Oct 14
BethlehemALLENTOWN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT · 7 km	Apr 20	May 4May 4	May 18	Oct 8
ChesterMARCUS HOOK · 5 km	Mar 30	Apr 11April 11	Apr 22	Nov 2
EastonPHILLIPSBURG-EASTON BRG · 2 km	Apr 18	May 3May 3	May 17	Oct 11
ErieERIE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT · 10 km	Apr 26	May 9May 9	May 21	Oct 21
HarrisburgHARRISBURG 1 NORTHEAST · 1 km	Apr 15	Apr 30April 30	May 15	Oct 7
HazletonMAHANOY CITY 2 N · 19 km	Apr 30	May 13May 13	May 26	Oct 7
LancasterLANCASTER 2NE FLTR PLT · 2 km	Apr 19	May 5May 5	May 20	Oct 9
MonroevilleMURRYSVILLE 2 SOUTHWEST · 4 km	Apr 22	May 6May 6	May 20	Oct 10
NorristownNORRISTOWN · 1 km	Apr 8	Apr 24April 24	May 9	Oct 14
PhiladelphiaPHILA FRANKLIN INST · 7 km	Mar 30	Apr 11April 11	Apr 23	Nov 4
PittsburghPITTSBURGH ALLEGHENY COUNTY AIRPORT · 11 km	Apr 18	May 3May 3	May 17	Oct 14
ReadingREADING SPAATZ FIELD · 5 km	Apr 14	Apr 29April 29	May 13	Oct 13
ScrantonWILKES-BARRE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT · 9 km	Apr 23	May 8May 8	May 22	Oct 4
State CollegeSTATE COLLEGE · 1 km	Apr 20	May 4May 4	May 18	Oct 10
Wilkes-BarreWILKES-BARRE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT · 16 km	Apr 23	May 8May 8	May 22	Oct 4
WilliamsportWILLIAMSPORT 2 · 4 km	Apr 25	May 9May 9	May 23	Oct 8
YorkYORK 3 SSW PUMP STATION · 6 km	Apr 26	May 10May 10	May 24	Oct 5

Pennsylvania's 20 largest cities (U.S. Census Bureau 2025 estimates), A to Z, each with its nearest NOAA station and the distance to it. Search any town to get its nearest station. "Plant tender crops from" is halfway between the average last frost and the date frost is over 9 years in 10; if frost is in the forecast after it, wait until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

§ 020 · What to plant

What to plant in Pennsylvania, and when

Planting windows from Pennsylvania's Cooperative Extension Service. Filter by season or crop group; every view has its own link.

Season

Crops

Link to this view getezina.com/when-to-plant/pennsylvania/

Dark green: fall planting window
Light green: spring and summer planting window
TenderKilled by frost: spring planting from the "plant tender crops from" date for your city

Greens & cabbages
Bok choy
Broccoli
Cabbage
Celery
Chinese cabbage
Collards
Kale
Lettuce
Mustard greens
Spinach
Swiss chard
Roots & bulbs
Beets
Carrots
Garlic
Leeks
Onions
Potatoes
Radishes
Shallots
Sweet potatoesTender
Turnips
Fruiting
CantaloupeTender
CucumbersTender
EggplantTender
Fava beans
Green beansTender
Lima beansTender
OkraTender
PeanutsTender
Peas
PeppersTender
Pigeon peasTender
PumpkinsTender
Southern peasTender
Summer squashTender
Sweet cornTender
TomatoesTender
WatermelonTender
Winter squashTender
Herbs
BasilTender
Parsley

§ 030 · Crop by crop

Planting in Pennsylvania

Each crop has its own link, like #tomatoes. Tender crops wait for the frost dates above; succession crops are sown again every few weeks for a steady harvest.

Dark green: fall planting window
Light green: spring and summer planting window

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Tender

Set out transplants May to June.

Ready in about 60 days from seed, 35 from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Source: Penn State Extension (The Pennsylvania State University), Master Gardeners of Philadelphia County, Master Gardeners Philadelphia Planting Guide. Days to harvest: Ezina crop catalog, from state extension guides.

Beets

Beta vulgaris

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Beets — Photo by W.carter / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to May, and again April to June, and again July to August.

Ready in about 58 days; sow again every 6 weeks.

Bok choy

Brassica rapa

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Bok choy — Photo by Webvet~enwiki / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April.

Ready in about 50 days from seed, 40 from transplants; sow again every 4 weeks.

Broccoli

Brassica oleracea

Cool season

Broccoli — Photo by Kolforn / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Set out transplants March to April, and again July to August.

Ready in about 95 days from seed, 65 from transplants.

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea

Cool season

Cabbage — Photo by Biswarup Ganguly / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April; Set out transplants March to April, and again July to August.

Ready in about 110 days from seed, 80 from transplants.

Cantaloupe

Cucumis melo

Tender

Cantaloupe — Photo by Seth Vidal / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 80 days from seed, 70 from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Carrots

Daucus carota

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Carrots — Photo by Evan-Amos / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to May, and again July to August.

Ready in about 70 days; sow again every 7 weeks.

Celery

Apium graveolens

Cool season

Celery — Photo by Lombroso / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Set out transplants April to May.

Ready in about 90 days from transplants.

Chinese cabbage

Brassica rapa

Cool season

Chinese cabbage — Photo by Drab Makyo / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 75 days from seed, 60 from transplants.

Collards

Brassica oleracea

Cool season

Collards — Photo by شارق کشمیری / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April; Set out transplants March to April, and again July to August.

Ready in about 65 days from seed, 55 from transplants.

Cucumbers

Cucumis sativus

TenderSuccession sow

Cucumbers — Photo by Stephen Ausmus, USDA ARS / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 58 days from seed, 50 from transplants; sow again every 7 weeks. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Eggplant

Solanum melongena

Tender

Eggplant — Photo by Billjones94 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Set out transplants May to June.

Ready in about 75 days from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Fava beans

Vicia faba

Cool season

Fava beans — Photo by Rasbak and Hohum / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April.

Ready in about 85 days.

Garlic

Allium sativum

Cool seasonOverwinters

Garlic — Photo by Billjones94 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Plant March to April, and again September to October.

Ready in about 240 days.

Green beans

Phaseolus vulgaris

TenderSuccession sow

Green beans — Photo by Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to July.

Ready in about 55 days; sow again every 5 weeks. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Kale

Brassica oleracea

Cool season

Kale — Photo by Rasbak / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April.

Ready in about 60 days from seed, 45 from transplants.

Leeks

Allium ampeloprasum

Cool season

Leeks — Photo by Raysonho / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April; Set out transplants March to April.

Ready in about 130 days from seed, 100 from transplants.

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Lettuce — Photo by Geo Lightspeed7 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to May.

Ready in about 65 days from seed, 50 from transplants; sow again every 6 weeks.

Lima beans

Phaseolus lunatus

Tender

Lima beans — Photo by Jud McCranie / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 75 days. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Mustard greens

Brassica juncea

Cool season

Mustard greens — Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April, and again August to September.

Ready in about 45 days.

Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

Tender

Okra — Photo by Pedro Acevedo-Rodriguez / CC0 / Smithsonian Open Access / via USDA PLANTS

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 55 days from seed, 45 from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Onions

Allium cepa

Cool season

Onions — Photo by Stephen Ausmus, USDA ARS / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April; Set out transplants March to April.

Ready in about 110 days from seed, 95 from transplants.

Parsley

Petroselinum crispum

Cool season

Parsley — Photo by H. Zell / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April.

Ready in about 78 days from seed, 50 from transplants.

Peanuts

Arachis hypogaea

Tender

Peanuts — Photo by H. Zell / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 130 days. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Peas

Pisum sativum

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Peas — Photo by David Adam Kess / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April, and again August to September.

Ready in about 65 days; sow again every 5 weeks.

Peppers

Capsicum annuum

Tender

Peppers — Photo by Kham Tran - www.khamtran.com / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Set out transplants May to June.

Ready in about 70 days from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Pigeon peas

Cajanus cajan

Tender

Pigeon peas — Photo by Filo gèn' / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Set out transplants May to June.

Ready in about 150 days. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Potatoes

Solanum tuberosum

Cool season

Potatoes — Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Plant March to April.

Ready in about 100 days.

Pumpkins

Cucurbita pepo

Tender

Pumpkins — Photo by HalfGig / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 110 days from seed, 95 from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Radishes

Raphanus sativus

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Radishes — Photo by Rasbak / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to May, and again July to September.

Ready in about 28 days; sow again every 3 weeks.

Shallots

Allium cepa

Cool season

Shallots — Photo by Kolforn / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April.

Ready in about 100 days from seed, 90 from transplants.

Southern peas

Vigna unguiculata

Tender

Southern peas — Photo by Jud McCranie / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 65 days. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Spinach

Spinacia oleracea

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Spinach — Photo by Victor M. Vicente Selvas / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April, and again July to September.

Ready in about 42 days; sow again every 5 weeks.

Summer squash

Cucurbita pepo

TenderSuccession sow

Summer squash — Photo by INRA DIST from France / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 50 days from seed, 40 from transplants; sow again every 7 weeks. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Sweet corn

Zea mays

TenderSuccession sow

Sweet corn — Photo by Royalbroil / CC BY-SA 2.5 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 78 days; sow again every 6 weeks. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Sweet potatoes

Ipomoea batatas

Tender

Sweet potatoes — Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Set out transplants May to June.

Ready in about 100 days from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Swiss chard

Beta vulgaris

Cool season

Swiss chard — Photo by Neelix / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons

Sow April to June, and again July to August.

Ready in about 55 days from seed, 40 from transplants.

Tomatoes

Solanum lycopersicum

Tender

Tomatoes — Photo by Michal Klajban / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Set out transplants May to June.

Ready in about 75 days from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Turnips

Brassica rapa

Cool seasonSuccession sow

Turnips — Photo by thebittenword.com / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow March to April.

Ready in about 50 days; sow again every 5 weeks.

Watermelon

Citrullus lanatus

Tender

Watermelon — Photo by F ASTILY / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 85 days from seed, 75 from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

Winter squash

Cucurbita moschata

Tender

Winter squash — Photo by Howard, R.A / Public domain / Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection / via USDA PLANTS

Sow May to June.

Ready in about 95 days from seed, 80 from transplants. Tender: in spring, from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, hold off until it passes and nights stay above 36°F.

§ 040 · Questions

Questions about planting in Pennsylvania

When is the last frost in Pennsylvania?

On average from about March 30 in Chester to April 30 in Hazleton. Frost is over 9 years in 10 by April 22 to May 26.

When can I plant tomatoes in Pennsylvania?

The extension service lists May to June. Tomatoes are frost-tender, so Ezina dates them from about April 11 in Philadelphia. If frost is in the forecast, wait until it passes.

What can I plant in Pennsylvania in October?

The extension calendar lists garlic for October.

Is it too late for a fall garden?

The latest fall windows on the calendar close in October. Filter by Fall above to see what is still open.

Why not use my USDA zone?

A zone is the coldest winter night, not a frost date. These dates come from NOAA station records and the extension service.

Can Ezina date plantings for my address?

Yes. Run Ezina Dig on your address and your bed plans are dated from that site's own frost records, on iPhone and Android in the contiguous U.S.

Changes

29 Sept 2026: page published.

Sources

Penn State Extension (The Pennsylvania State University), Master Gardeners of Philadelphia County: Master Gardeners Philadelphia Planting Guide.

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station freeze probabilities. U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 city and town population estimates and 2020 place gazetteer. Days to harvest and re-sowing intervals: Ezina's crop catalog, compiled from state Cooperative Extension guides. Photos: Wikimedia Commons and USDA PLANTS, credited under each photo. Checked Sept 2026.