Every spring, Kentucky gardeners ask: “When should I plant tomatoes? When do peas go in the ground? What about fall broccoli?” I saw a need so I built This free Kentucky vegetable planting calendar answers all of it—with exact dates for zones 6b, 7a, and 7b across Western, Central, and Eastern Kentucky.
It is a real usable Kentucky vegetable planting calendar, broken out by zone, based on University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension guidelines — not Pinterest, not a gardening influencer in another zone or state. Actual Kentucky data for actual Kentucky gardeners and homesteaders.
Scroll down to use the interactive calendar and toggle between Western, Central, and Eastern KY zones. Or keep reading for the breakdown on what any of it actually means.
What is Your Kentucky Garden Zone?
First: Which Zone Are You Actually In? Updated for 2026 (see 2023 USDA Map Below)
Kentucky USDA hardiness zones range from 6b through 7b. That sounds tidy on paper. In real time, it means the difference between losing your pepper transplants to a late frost or not.
Western Kentucky (Zone 7a–7b) — Owensboro, Paducah, Bowling Green. Warmer winters, earlier springs. You can generally plant 1-2 weeks ahead of Central KY. Last frost is typically early May.
Central Kentucky (Zone 6b–7a) — Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort. The middle ground in every sense. Last frost mid-May, though any given year will test that. This is the timing the calendar defaults to. (I am in Columbia, Ky 7a)
Eastern Kentucky (Zone 6b) — Pikeville, Hazard, Morehead. Higher elevations, shorter seasons, later springs. Plan 1-2 weeks behind Central. Fall comes earlier too, so succession planting matters more here.
The Kentucky Vegetable Planting Calendar
I gathered the data from Kentucky Extension publications to develop the interactive calendar below, highlighting planting windows for 30+ vegetables.
👇 Toggle between Western, Central, and Eastern KY to see planting dates for your zone — or scroll down for the free printable PDF.
Click a zone to adjust all the timing at once. Color coding: light green = direct seed outdoors, dark green = transplant or peak planting, tan = start indoors, blue = fall planting, yellow = harvest window.
| Vegetable | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|
Western KY (Zone 7a–7b — Paducah, Hopkinsville, Bowling Green): last frost Apr 20–30 · growing season 160–175 days | Central KY (Zone 6b–7a — Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort): last frost Apr 30–May 5 · growing season 150–160 days | Eastern KY (Zone 6b — Pikeville, Hazard, Morehead): last frost May 5–10 · growing season 145–150 days
Zone 6 or Zone 7? Both can be right — Kentucky spans both. Use the specific subzone above for the most accurate planting dates for your county.
Currently showing Central KY (Zone 6b–7a) timing. Frost dates from UK Extension ID-128, Figure 20.8.
Source: UK Cooperative Extension ID-128, Tables 20.14 & 20.15 · 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map · Guide by Bloom & Peck
🌱 Get the Free Printable Kentucky Planting Calendar
Planting dates for all three Kentucky zones — Western, Central, and Eastern — in one page you can print and keep in your seed box or stick on the fridge. No more checking your phone in the garden.
Want your exact zone? Plug your zip code into the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map — that’s the official source this calendar is based on. Farmers’ Almanac has frost dates by zip too. But nothing beats your own weather notes over time.
Why I Started Planting All The Vegetables I Can in Kentucky
If you are new here and would like to read why I grow our food in Kentucky, you can see that here.
Cool Season Crops: Start Earlier Than You Think
This is where most new Kentucky gardeners leave time on the table. We get excited about tomatoes and peppers and forget that there’s a whole other growing season before them — and another one after.
Peas, spinach, and lettuce want to be in the ground in late February to early March in Central KY. Not when it feels like spring. When it’s still cold and you’re not sure. They can handle light frost. What they can’t handle is heat — once summer hits, they bolt and it’s over.
The same goes for broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Start them indoors in January. Transplant in late March or early April. Let them mature before the June heat rolls in. UK Extension is clear on this: fall broccoli in Kentucky often tastes better than spring broccoli because it matures in cooler temps. Worth doing a second planting in August if you missed the spring window.
See my Fall Planting Guide Here
Worth direct seeding in early spring:
| Zone | Direct Sow | Last Frost |
| Zone 6b (E. KY) | Mar 15 – Apr 7 | May 5–10 |
| Zone 6b–7a (Central KY) | Mar 1 – Mar 21 | Late Apr–Early May (Apr 30–May 5) |
| Zone 7a–7b (W. KY) | Feb 20 – Mar 14 | Late April (Apr 20–30) |
Dates below are for Central KY (Zone 6b–7a). Use the zone table to adjust for your area — Eastern KY plants ~2 weeks later, Western KY ~2 weeks earlier.
- Peas — late February to early March (See my When to plant peas post)
- Spinach — late February to mid-March
- Lettuce — early to mid-March
- Radishes — early March (and again in fall)
- Beets and carrots — mid-March
- Kale and collards — mid-March (fall planting in July too)
- Onion sets — late February to mid-March
TIP- Call or visit your extension agent; they will help you with tips for your county.
→ See my complete Kentucky Fall Garden Planting Guide for exact Fall planting dates by zone
I get most of my seeds from Epic Gardening. There’s a 5% discount through my link if you need it — I only mention it because I actually use them.
Warm Season Crops: The Frost Date Is Not a Suggestion
☀️ I know. The forecast looks warm. The nursery already has tomatoes on the bench. Your neighbor swears he puts his out in April every year. Maybe he gets lucky. Maybe he covers them every cold night, and you just don’t see that part. Trust me, in March (2026), it was 70degrees on the 14th, then it snowed on the 16!
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and okra are frost-sensitive. In Central KY, the last frost is typically mid-May. As the saying goes, ”Plant after Derby Day.” Western KY is early May, Eastern KY is late May. These are averages based on decades of regional data — not guarantees, but the best information we have. Now you can use row covers to help protect the plants, but they are not 100%.
🌱 If you’re starting tomatoes and peppers from seed, start them indoors 6-8 weeks before your transplant date. For Central KY, that means mid-March seed starting. They’ll be big, healthy transplants by the time it’s safe to put them out. (That’s the recommendation, I start early and pot them up! See my best tomatoes for Kentucky post.
Cucumbers, squash, and melons can go in at the end of April in Central KY (I still use a row cover to protect them) — earlier in the west, later in the east. Don’t rush them.
Want more for what to plant in May in Kentucky? See my post of an interactive May veggie planting calendar here
Real Notes From a Columbia, KY Zone 7 Garden
These are things I’ve picked up after gardening in Central Kentucky clay that no calendar is going to tell you.
Your microclimate matters. A raised bed in full sun against a south-facing fence runs warmer than a flat in-ground plot with shade. A low spot holds cold air. Know your specific conditions, not just your zone.
Soil temperature beats air temperature. Seeds need soil warm enough to germinate — for most warm-season crops, that’s 60 degrees F or above. A cheap soil thermometer will tell you more than any calendar. I lost a whole tray of basil last year because I got to excited, killed them all. They grow fast though so I was able to get more in for my companion planting.
Late frosts happen. I’ve had frost in the first week of May in Columbia. Keep an eye on the forecast through mid-May and have a row cover or an old bedsheet ready. The calendar gives you the average — nature will give you the outlier.
Keep a garden journal. The UK Extension calendar mentions this, and it’s genuinely good advice. Write down what you planted, when, where, and what happened. Your own notes from your own yard beat any guide — including this one. I honestly am not a journal person… BUT I do like calendars, I buy a spiral-bound one every year, and put planting dates and weather dates there. That reminds me! I forgot to put in my March 15 Snow Day (2026)
🌱 Want the Printable Version?
If you made it this far, you’re serious about your Kentucky garden. Grab the PDF — all three zones, one page, ready to print.
🌱 Gardening in Kentucky has taught me more through failure than success — the March snow after a 70-degree week, the pepper seedlings that did not germinate, the entire fall window I missed last year while we were dealing with family health stuff. This calendar exists because I needed it myself.
If you’re just getting started or starting over, don’t let the zones and dates overwhelm you. Pick two or three vegetables you actually want to eat and follow the timing for your part of Kentucky. That’s it.
I’ve had the best luck with tomatoes here in Adair County — if you want to know which varieties actually survive a Kentucky summer and still produce, that’s where I’d send you next.