Lexington, KY · zone 6b · ~199 frost-free days
When to plant in Lexington: frost dates and zone 6b.
In Lexington, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 12 and the first fall frost around Oct 28, giving you about 199 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 Lexington, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 8 to May 8 | Apr 19 to Jun 19 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 5 to Apr 19 | Aug 14 to Oct 13 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 5 to Apr 7 | Aug 2 to Aug 28 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 12 to Jun 2 | Jul 14 to Aug 16 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 19 to Jul 19 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 17 to May 8 | Apr 28 to Jun 19 | — |
| Kale | Jan 22 to Feb 19 | Mar 5 to Apr 2 | Jul 28 to Sep 12 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 19 to Apr 2 | Aug 14 to Oct 2 |
Lexington 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 Lexington 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 40507 in about 60 seconds.
Lexington planting questions
What planting zone is Lexington, KY?+
Lexington 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 Lexington?+
The typical last spring frost in Lexington, KY is around Apr 12. 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 Lexington?+
The typical first fall frost in Lexington, KY arrives around Oct 28, closing a growing season of roughly 199 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Lexington?+
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 12. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.