Local coastal and urban sites can differ; use the dates as calendar defaults, not a frost guarantee.
Regional guide
Massachusetts Extension Planting Chart Vegetable Garden
A UMass Extension planting-chart guide for Massachusetts crop groups, frost risk, direct/transplant markers, succession, and regional timing shifts.
Regional timing
Current regional planting plan
A UMass Extension planting-chart guide for Massachusetts crop groups, frost risk, direct/transplant markers, succession, and regional timing shifts.
Source-backed timing
UMass Extension Vegetable Planting Chart
Massachusetts
153 frost-free days
May 15 last frost
spring release
Oct 15 first frost
fall limit
- UMass Extension's Vegetable Planting Chart is for Massachusetts gardeners planning when to sow seeds or set out seedlings.
- Cool-weather crops can be planted in late winter or early spring as soon as the soil dries out enough to be worked, and many can be succession-planted for fall harvest.
- Eastern and southern Massachusetts may have earlier planting times; western and northern Massachusetts may have later planting times.
- Catalog priority
- 35 priority crops 35 catalog examples
- Climate checks
- 4 climate signals 5 planning notes
- Timing basis
- Using Rhode Island Calendar dates May 15 to Oct 15
Astro Arugula, Genovese Basil, Provider Bush Bean, Detroit Dark Red Beet
Cool-weather catalog examples include arugula, beets, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip.
Calendar
Convert regional timing into dated sowing, transplant, and harvest jobs.
Frost dates
Keep hardiness zone context separate from local first and last frost dates.
All regions
Compare this guide with the broader regional atlas.
Maine Coast/North
A UMaine planting-window guide for central Maine dates, coastal and northern timing shifts, spring greens, warm transplants, and fall rows.
Climate signals
- UMass Extension's Vegetable Planting Chart is for Massachusetts gardeners planning when to sow seeds or set out seedlings.
- Cool-weather crops can be planted in late winter or early spring as soon as the soil dries out enough to be worked, and many can be succession-planted for fall harvest.
- Eastern and southern Massachusetts may have earlier planting times; western and northern Massachusetts may have later planting times.
- Warm-weather crops should be transplanted into the garden only after all danger of frost has passed.
Planning notes
- Use the chart legend: plant seeds directly into the garden, plant transplants or sets, or plant seeds or transplants where both are marked.
- Cool-weather catalog examples include arugula, beets, carrots, lettuce, peas, radishes, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip.
- Cool-weather brassica, allium, and root examples include broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, dill, kale, collards, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnip, and rutabaga.
- Plant intermediate crops after the cool-weather crops and before the warm-weather crops; chart examples include basil, beans, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, summer squash, and winter squash.
- Use warm-weather crops as the frost-sensitive transplant group: eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes.
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.
- Astro Arugula Vegetable · Cool · 35 days
- Genovese Basil Herb · Warm · 68 days
- 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
- Bouquet Dill Herb · Shoulder · 55 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
- Evergreen Bunching Onion Vegetable · Shoulder · 65 days
- Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Herb · Shoulder · 75 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
- American Purple Top Rutabaga Vegetable · Cool · 90 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
Related regional guides
- Maine Coastal and Northern Vegetable Garden A UMaine planting-window guide for central Maine dates, coastal and northern timing shifts, spring greens, warm transplants, and fall rows.
- Central New Hampshire Memorial Day Vegetable Garden A UNH Extension guide for central New Hampshire's Memorial Day frost baseline, indoor starts, soil temperatures, and sequence plantings.
- Vermont Frost-Relative Vegetable Garden UVM Extension Master Gardener Planting the Garden guide for Vermont vegetable timing by crop hardiness and frost-free-date spacing.
- Connecticut Crop Planning Calendar Vegetable Garden UConn Extension crop planning calendar for Connecticut vegetable growers using frost-aware field timing, indoor starts, cover crops, and fall reset windows.
- Rhode Island Planting Calendar Vegetable Garden URI Cooperative Extension calendar for Rhode Island gardeners using May 15/October 15 frost dates, method legend, and crop-row timing.