Omaha, NE · zone 5b · ~185 frost-free days
When to plant in Omaha: frost dates and zone 5b.
In Omaha, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 18 and the first fall frost around Oct 20, giving you about 185 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 Omaha, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 14 to May 14 | Apr 25 to Jun 25 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 11 to Apr 25 | Aug 6 to Oct 5 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 11 to Apr 13 | Jul 25 to Aug 20 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 18 to Jun 8 | Jul 6 to Aug 8 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 25 to Jul 25 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 23 to May 14 | May 4 to Jun 25 | — |
| Kale | Jan 28 to Feb 25 | Mar 11 to Apr 8 | Jul 20 to Sep 4 |
| Spinach | — | Feb 25 to Apr 8 | Aug 6 to Sep 24 |
Omaha sits in Zone 5b, 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 Omaha 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 68102 in about 60 seconds.
Omaha planting questions
What planting zone is Omaha, NE?+
Omaha is in USDA hardiness zone 5b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 5b 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 Omaha?+
The typical last spring frost in Omaha, NE is around Apr 18. 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 Omaha?+
The typical first fall frost in Omaha, NE arrives around Oct 20, closing a growing season of roughly 185 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Omaha?+
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 18. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.