Indianapolis, IN · zone 6a · ~190 frost-free days
When to plant a garden in Indianapolis.
In Indianapolis, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 17 and the first fall frost around Oct 24, giving you about 190 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 Indianapolis, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 13 to May 13 | Apr 24 to Jun 24 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 10 to Apr 24 | Aug 10 to Oct 9 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 10 to Apr 12 | Jul 29 to Aug 24 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 17 to Jun 7 | Jul 10 to Aug 12 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 24 to Jul 24 | Jun 23 to Jul 24 |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 22 to May 13 | May 3 to Jun 24 | — |
| Kale | Jan 27 to Feb 24 | Mar 10 to Apr 7 | Jul 24 to Sep 8 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 24 to Apr 7 | Aug 10 to Sep 28 |
Indianapolis sits in Zone 6a, 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 Indianapolis 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 46204 in about 60 seconds.