Rochester, NY · zone 5b · ~182 frost-free days
When to plant in Rochester: frost dates and zone 5b.
In Rochester, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 25 and the first fall frost around Oct 24, giving you about 182 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 Rochester, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 21 to May 21 | May 2 to Jul 2 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 18 to May 2 | Aug 10 to Oct 9 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 18 to Apr 20 | Jul 29 to Aug 24 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 25 to Jun 15 | Jul 10 to Aug 12 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | May 2 to Aug 1 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Mar 30 to May 21 | May 11 to Jul 2 | — |
| Kale | Feb 4 to Mar 4 | Mar 18 to Apr 15 | Jul 24 to Sep 8 |
| Spinach | — | Mar 4 to Apr 15 | Aug 10 to Sep 28 |
Rochester 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 Rochester 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 14604 in about 60 seconds.
Rochester planting questions
What planting zone is Rochester, NY?+
Rochester 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 Rochester?+
The typical last spring frost in Rochester, NY is around Apr 25. 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 Rochester?+
The typical first fall frost in Rochester, NY arrives around Oct 24, closing a growing season of roughly 182 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Rochester?+
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 25. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.