Pittsburgh, PA · zone 6b · ~186 frost-free days
When to plant in Pittsburgh: frost dates and zone 6b.
In Pittsburgh, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 23 and the first fall frost around Oct 26, giving you about 186 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 Pittsburgh, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 19 to May 19 | Apr 30 to Jun 30 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 16 to Apr 30 | Aug 12 to Oct 11 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 16 to Apr 18 | Jul 31 to Aug 26 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 23 to Jun 13 | Jul 12 to Aug 14 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Apr 30 to Jul 30 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 28 to May 19 | May 9 to Jun 30 | — |
| Kale | Feb 2 to Mar 2 | Mar 16 to Apr 13 | Jul 26 to Sep 10 |
| Spinach | — | Mar 2 to Apr 13 | Aug 12 to Sep 30 |
Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh 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 15222 in about 60 seconds.
Pittsburgh planting questions
What planting zone is Pittsburgh, PA?+
Pittsburgh 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 Pittsburgh?+
The typical last spring frost in Pittsburgh, PA is around Apr 23. 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 Pittsburgh?+
The typical first fall frost in Pittsburgh, PA arrives around Oct 26, closing a growing season of roughly 186 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Pittsburgh?+
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 23. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.