Planting windows for Cary
Computed from Cary's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-8 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Feb 3 – Feb 17 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Jan 20 – Feb 3 | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Mar 3 – Mar 31 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Feb 17 – Mar 3 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Mar 10 – Mar 31 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Feb 10 – Feb 24 | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Mar 3 – Mar 17 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | Apr 7 – Apr 14 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | Apr 7 – Apr 14 |
| 🌿 Basil | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 7 – Apr 14 | Apr 14 – Apr 21 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Sep 29 – Oct 27 |
Want this for all 50 crops, or as a printable seed-shelf schedule? Use the planting calendar and the seed starting scheduler — both can use Cary's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Cary
With roughly 224 frost-free days, Cary gardens fit long-season crops — melons, winter squash, sweet potatoes — with room left for spring and fall rounds of greens and roots. The first frost around Nov 10 is late enough that fall planting is a full second season, not an afterthought.