UMN pairs the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center freeze dates map for local spring and fall timing.
Regional guide
Minnesota Soil-Temperature Vegetable Garden
UMN Extension guide for Minnesota vegetable timing built around soil temperature, freeze-date tools, and short-season transplants.
Regional timing
Current regional planting plan
UMN Extension guide for Minnesota vegetable timing built around soil temperature, freeze-date tools, and short-season transplants.
Source-backed timing
UMN planting the vegetable garden
Minnesota Soil Temp
6 climate signals
Source
source cues
Local
conditions
- Soil temperature is the most relevant determinant for when to plant, and UMN points gardeners to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Six-Inch Soil Temperature Network.
- UMN pairs the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center freeze dates map for local spring and fall timing.
- Cool-season crops such as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and onions can be sown right after preparing the garden plot.
- Catalog priority
- 33 priority crops 33 catalog examples
- Climate checks
- 6 climate signals 15 planning notes
- Timing basis
- Use regional source signals source guidance first
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce, Golden Acre Cabbage, Snowball Y Cauliflower, Waltham 29 Broccoli
Some vegetables can be planted twice; UMN names leaf lettuce, radishes, and kohlrabi in mid-April and again in August for fall harvest.
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.
Upper Midwest
A frost-aware guide for northern gardeners who need quick cool-season starts, protected warm-season transplants, and reliable fall repeats.
Climate signals
- Soil temperature is the most relevant determinant for when to plant, and UMN points gardeners to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Six-Inch Soil Temperature Network.
- UMN pairs the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map with the Midwestern Regional Climate Center freeze dates map for local spring and fall timing.
- Cool-season crops such as lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and onions can be sown right after preparing the garden plot.
- When soil temperatures are between 40 and 50F, UMN says peas, spinach, lettuce, and radish can be direct seeded.
- Wait until after the last frost, described as mid-to-late May, before transplanting tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, summer squash, basil, and similar warm-season crops.
- Warm-season crops need a long growing season and will not mature if seeded directly in the garden in Minnesota.
Planning notes
- Begin warm-season crops later than cool-season crops because they need soil temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees F.
- Some vegetables can be planted twice; UMN names leaf lettuce, radishes, and kohlrabi in mid-April and again in August for fall harvest.
- Mid-April entries include broccoli, brussels sprouts, collards, cauliflower, endive, onion, parsley, and spinach.
- Mid-April to early May is the UMN outdoor planting window for peas.
- Mid-April to early June is the UMN outdoor planting window for carrots.
- Mid-April to mid-June is the UMN outdoor planting window for beets, kohlrabi, and leaf lettuce.
- Mid-April to early July is the UMN outdoor planting window for kale.
- Early May includes Swiss chard and parsnips.
- Mid-May includes beans, celery, muskmelon, pumpkin, squash, tomatoes, and watermelon.
- Mid-May to mid-June is the UMN outdoor planting window for sweet corn.
- Early June includes eggplant and pepper.
- Early July includes Chinese cabbage, and Early August includes kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, radish, spinach, and turnip.
- Radishes, carrots, and beets do not tolerate transplanting and should be direct seeded.
- UMN says transplanting gives a head start in Minnesota's short growing season; transplant in late afternoon or on a cool, cloudy, calm day.
- Use these priority catalog links as crop-level examples for UMN timing groups, not UMN cultivar recommendations.
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.
- Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce Vegetable · Cool · 45 days
- Golden Acre Cabbage Vegetable · Cool · 64 days
- Snowball Y Cauliflower Vegetable · Cool · 70 days
- Waltham 29 Broccoli Vegetable · Cool · 74 days
- Long Island Improved Brussels Sprouts Vegetable · Cool · 100 days
- Evergreen Bunching Onion Vegetable · Shoulder · 65 days
- Sugar Snap Pea Vegetable · Cool · 62 days
- Bloomsdale Spinach Vegetable · Cool · 42 days
- French Breakfast Radish Vegetable · Cool · 28 days
- Georgia Southern Collards Vegetable · Cool · 65 days
- Green Curled Endive Vegetable · Cool · 85 days
- Italian Flat Leaf Parsley Herb · Shoulder · 75 days
- Danvers 126 Carrot Vegetable · Shoulder · 70 days
- Detroit Dark Red Beet Vegetable · Cool · 58 days
- Early White Vienna Kohlrabi Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- Lacinato Kale Vegetable · Cool · 60 days
- Bright Lights Swiss Chard Vegetable · Shoulder · 55 days
- Hollow Crown Parsnip Vegetable · Cool · 120 days
- Marketmore 76 Cucumber Vegetable · Warm · 58 days
- Provider Bush Bean Vegetable · Warm · 50 days
- Tall Utah Celery Vegetable · Cool · 110 days
- Hale's Best Jumbo Melon Vegetable · Warm · 85 days
- Small Sugar Pumpkin Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
- Delicata Winter Squash Vegetable · Warm · 100 days
- Waltham Butternut Squash Vegetable · Warm · 95 days
- Roma Tomato Vegetable · Warm · 76 days
- Sugar Baby Watermelon Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
- American Purple Top Rutabaga Vegetable · Cool · 90 days
- Golden Bantam Sweet Corn Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
- Black Beauty Eggplant Vegetable · Warm · 80 days
- California Wonder Pepper Vegetable · Warm · 72 days
- Purple Top White Globe Turnip Vegetable · Cool · 55 days
- Genovese Basil Herb · Warm · 68 days
Related regional guides
- Upper Midwest Short-Season Garden A frost-aware guide for northern gardeners who need quick cool-season starts, protected warm-season transplants, and reliable fall repeats.