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Regional Calendars, Climate & Data
Regional calendars, climate data and how to read official weather and crop progress sources.
50 guides
- Northeast Planting Calendar
The Northeast covers coastal plains, river valleys, high hills and lake-effect belts, so one date list cannot fit it. This guide shows how to build a... - Mid-Atlantic Planting Calendar
The Mid-Atlantic gives growers a long spring, a hot and humid summer and a generous fall. That means many crops can be planted twice, if you plan for... - Southeast Planting Calendar
In the Southeast the question is rarely whether a crop has time to grow. It is whether the crop will meet heat, heavy rain or a late freeze at the... - Deep South Planting Calendar
In the Deep South, winter is short and summer is long. A good calendar plans around heat and rain as carefully as it plans around frost. - Midwest Planting Calendar
The Midwest runs from the southern corn belt to the northern lakes, and planting windows shift with latitude, soil and weather. This guide covers the... - Northern Plains Planting Calendar
The Northern Plains offer big open fields, long summer days and a season that can start late and end early. Planting dates here are about squeezing a... - Southern Plains Planting Calendar
The Southern Plains can feel like summer in March and winter in April. A good planting plan expects both and builds in time and protection for... - Mountain West Planting Calendar
In the Mountain West a few hundred feet of elevation can change your growing season by weeks. A useful calendar starts with your own elevation,... - Pacific Northwest Planting Calendar
The Cascades split the Pacific Northwest into two growing regions: cool, wet soil in spring on the west side, and cold winters, dry summers and... - California Planting Calendar by Region
California is a collection of climates. A planting plan for the foggy coast, the hot Central Valley, the Sierra foothills and the low desert must... - Desert Southwest Planting Calendar
In the low desert the calendar is flipped from much of the country. The best growing weather is often in the cooler months, and midsummer is a season... - Alaska Planting Calendar
Alaska has a short growing season, but it has very long summer days. Growers use that daylight, protect crops from cold and match varieties to their... - Hawaii Planting Calendar
Hawaii does not have a frost calendar at low elevations, so planting dates follow rainfall, wind, elevation and the crop itself. - Mediterranean Climate Planting Calendar
Mediterranean climates give mild, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The planting calendar follows rainfall and heat more than frost. - Coastal vs. Inland Planting Calendar
A garden on the shore and a garden fifty miles inland can have different growing seasons even at the same latitude. The reason is the ocean or lake... - Urban Heat Island and Planting Dates
Pavement, brick and buildings hold heat, so a city garden can warm earlier in spring and stay frost-free longer in fall than a field outside town.... - Elevation and Planting Dates
As you climb, the growing season usually gets shorter and cooler. Planting dates written for the valley floor often fail on the hillside, and the... - Latitude and Planting Dates
Moving north or south changes more than temperature. It changes day length across the year, which affects when crops grow, flower and bulb. - Climate Change and Shifting Planting Windows
Growers across the country report planting windows that feel different from those of past decades. This guide sticks to practical adaptation: use... - El Niño/La Niña and Crop Timing
El Niño and La Niña change the odds of wetter, drier, warmer or cooler weather in some regions, mostly in the cool season. They are not forecasts for... - Drought-Year Planting Calendar Adjustments
A dry year does not call for a new calendar so much as a set of adjustments. Moisture, not the date, becomes the deciding factor, and the plan shifts... - Wet-Year Planting Calendar Adjustments
In a wet year the calendar slips because the soil, not the date, controls when you can work. The job is to protect soil structure and stands and to... - Late Spring Frost Risk Calendar
Frost after planting is one of the most common causes of crop loss. A frost risk calendar turns that risk into a plan: when you start taking chances,... - Early Fall Frost Risk Calendar
An early fall frost can end the season in a night. A fall frost risk calendar helps you plan plantings backward from the first frost and keep a... - Heat Stress Calendar for Crops
Heat can hurt crops as much as frost, but it is easier to plan around than to fix. A heat stress calendar maps the hot weeks to the crop stages that... - Cold Stress Calendar for Crops
Cold stress is not one event. It is a run of risks that changes with the crop, the growth stage and how long the cold lasts, so a useful calendar... - Growing Season Length by Region
Growing season length is the gap between the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze, and the threshold you pick changes the answer.... - First and Last Frost Date Maps
A frost date map shows an average, but your crop lives through individual years. Learning to read the probability behind the date lets you choose how... - USDA Zone Changes Over Time
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map was updated in 2023, and about half the country moved to a warmer half-zone. Before you act on that, it helps to... - Microclimate Mapping for Your Property
Frost dates describe a region, but your field may run several degrees warmer or colder than the nearest weather station. A simple property map can... - Using Weather Apps for Planting Decisions
A weather app can save a planting, but only if you know what its number means. Forecast low temperatures, soil conditions and local terrain all need... - Soil Temperature Maps by Region
Soil temperature is a better planting signal than the calendar, and regional maps make it easy to see when soils are warming. They still need a check... - Rainfall Calendar by Region
Annual rainfall totals say little about when water arrives. A rainfall calendar that tracks timing by month helps you plan planting, irrigation and... - Irrigation Needs by Region and Crop
Irrigation need depends on the crop, its growth stage, the weather and the soil, not on region alone. A simple water balance gives you a method you... - Regional Crop Suitability Calendar
A crop suitability calendar asks one question first: does this crop fit your climate at all. Only then does it ask when to plant. - Crop Calendar for the Corn Belt
In the Corn Belt, the calendar is driven by soil warmth in spring and the first freeze in fall, with corn and soybean planting windows that are wide... - Crop Calendar for the Southeast
The Southeast has a long growing season and a short margin for error. Mild winters invite early planting, while heat, humidity and a late freeze can... - Crop Calendar for the Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is really several climates. West of the Cascades, cool soil and wet springs set the pace. East of them, a drier, more... - Crop Calendar for California’s Central Valley
The Central Valley has mild winters, hot, dry summers and a growing season that can run most of the year. The calendar is shaped by irrigation, heat... - Crop Calendar for the High Plains
On the High Plains, winter wheat, corn, sorghum and other crops share a short list of risks: late spring freezes, hail, wind and limited water.... - Comparing Regional Planting Calendars
Two planting calendars can look similar and disagree by weeks. Before you compare them, you need to know what each one was built on. - Building a Farm-Specific Calendar
A farm-specific calendar is a working document. It starts from published data and gets better every season as you add what actually happened in your... - Calibration of Local Frost Dates
Published frost dates describe a weather station. Calibration is how you turn them into dates that describe your field. - Historical Crop Calendar Records
Old planting records, whether from a federal publication or your own notebook, show what usually happens and how far a year can stray from usual. - Data Sources for Planting Calendars
A planting calendar is only as good as the data under it. These are the public sources worth knowing, and what each one can and cannot tell you. - How to Validate a Planting Calendar
Before you trust a planting calendar with a season's seed, test it. A calendar that survives five simple checks is far more likely to fit your farm. - Creating a ZIP-Code Planting Calendar
A ZIP code is a mail route, not a climate zone. A ZIP-based planting calendar can be a useful first draft if you know what it assumes and where it... - Creating a County-Level Crop Calendar
A county is a good unit for a crop calendar: small enough to share a climate, large enough to have data. Here is how to put one together. - Climate-Smart Crop Calendar Planning
A climate-smart calendar does not predict the future. It builds in flexibility so that your plan holds up across a wider range of seasons. - Future Trends in Crop Calendar Tools
Crop calendar tools are getting more local and more data-driven. The useful ones will still need a farmer who knows the field, so judge each tool by...