Regional guide
Indiana Frost and Soil Temperature Vegetable Garden
A Purdue Extension guide for Indiana frost-relative planting, soil-temperature thresholds, hardiness groups, fall timing, and succession planning.
Climate signals
- Purdue Extension bases safe Indiana planting-date ranges on statistical last spring frost and first fall frost dates, not a single statewide calendar day.
- Purdue says planting dates differ by microclimatic effects including urban areas, natural terrain, moisture, sunlight, wind exposure, cloches, and mulches.
- Warm-season crops such as beans, tomatoes, squash, sweet potatoes, and sweet corn should be delayed until soil reaches at least 60F for optimum germination or growth.
- For fall planting dates, Purdue says to consider days to maturity, choose faster maturing cultivars when possible, and irrigate frequently until the crop is established.
Planning notes
- Hardy crops are planted 4-6 weeks before last spring frost; Purdue examples include broccoli, kale, peas, and spinach.
- Semi-hardy crops are planted 2-4 weeks before last spring frost; Purdue examples include beet, carrot, chard, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, and parsnip.
- Tender crops are planted after average last spring frost when minimum air temperature is 50F; Purdue examples include bean, tomato, and sweet corn.
- Very Tender crops are planted at least two weeks after average last spring frost when minimum air temperature is 60-65F; Purdue examples include cucumber, okra, pumpkin, eggplant, pepper, squash, and melons.
- For fall planting, Purdue lists cool-season plants at least 4-8 weeks before first fall frost; examples include beet, radish, broccoli, kale, spinach, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, turnip, cabbage, lettuce, collards, and mustard greens.
- Making several plantings within the safe date ranges can extend the harvest season over a longer period; if making only one planting, Purdue recommends the middle of the range.
Catalog crop examples
These catalog entries match crops covered by the regional timing source; variety-specific details remain tied to each seed entry's own source.
- Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
- Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
- Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts Vegetable · Cool · 100 days
- Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
- Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
- Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
- Tall Utah Celery Vegetable · Cool · 110 days
- Bright Lights Swiss Chard Vegetable · Shoulder · 55 days
- Georgia Southern Collards Vegetable · Cool · 65 days
- Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
- Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
- Black Beauty Eggplant Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
- Lacinato Kale Vegetable · Cool · 60 days
- Early White Vienna Kohlrabi Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- American Flag Leek Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
- Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
- Hale's Best Jumbo Melon Vegetable · Warm · 85 days
- Southern Giant Curled Mustard Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
- Clemson Spineless Okra Vegetable · Warm · 56 days
- Evergreen Bunching Onion Vegetable · Shoulder · 65 days
- Hollow Crown Parsnip Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
- Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
- California Wonder Pepper Vegetable · Warm · 72 days
- Small Sugar Pumpkin Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
- French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
- Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
- Delicata Winter Squash Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
- Waltham Butternut Squash Vegetable · Warm · 95 days
- Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
- Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
Related regional guides
- Ohio Central Normal-Season Vegetable Garden OSU Extension central Ohio guide for normal-season direct-seeded rows, transplants, timing shifts, succession, and fall crops.
- Iowa Planting and Harvest Timing Vegetable Garden An Iowa State Extension guide for Iowa vegetable planting schedules, harvest timing, staggered chart use, and April-October planning.
- Kansas Expected Planting Calendar Vegetable Garden A K-State Research and Extension guide for Kansas planting windows, crop temperatures, frost resistance, spacing, and harvest timing.
- Kentucky Three-Region Vegetable Garden A University of Kentucky guide for Western, Central, and Eastern Kentucky vegetable planting dates, methods, and safe planting windows.
Source: Purdue Extension Indiana Vegetable Planting Calendar