Buffalo, NY · zone 6b · ~178 frost-free days
When to plant in Buffalo: frost dates and zone 6b.
In Buffalo, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 28 and the first fall frost around Oct 23, giving you about 178 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Buffalo, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 24 to May 24 | May 5 to Jul 5 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 21 to May 5 | Aug 9 to Oct 8 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 21 to Apr 23 | Jul 28 to Aug 23 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 28 to Jun 18 | Jul 9 to Aug 11 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | May 5 to Aug 4 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Apr 2 to May 24 | May 14 to Jul 5 | — |
| Kale | Feb 7 to Mar 7 | Mar 21 to Apr 18 | Jul 23 to Sep 7 |
| Spinach | — | Mar 7 to Apr 18 | Aug 9 to Sep 27 |
Buffalo sits in Zone 6b, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Buffalo garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 14201 in about 60 seconds.
Buffalo planting questions
What planting zone is Buffalo, NY?+
Buffalo is in USDA hardiness zone 6b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 6b here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Buffalo?+
The typical last spring frost in Buffalo, NY is around Apr 28. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Buffalo?+
The typical first fall frost in Buffalo, NY arrives around Oct 23, closing a growing season of roughly 178 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Buffalo?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Apr 28. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.