Syracuse, NY · zone 5b · ~170 frost-free days
When to plant in Syracuse: frost dates and zone 5b.
In Syracuse, the typical last spring frost lands around Apr 30 and the first fall frost around Oct 17, giving you about 170 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 Syracuse, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Mar 26 to May 26 | May 7 to Jul 7 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Mar 23 to May 7 | Aug 3 to Oct 2 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 23 to Apr 25 | Jul 22 to Aug 17 |
| Bush Bean | — | Apr 30 to Jun 20 | Jul 3 to Aug 5 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | May 7 to Jul 31 | — |
| Pepper, bell | Apr 4 to May 26 | May 16 to Jul 7 | — |
| Kale | Feb 9 to Mar 9 | Mar 23 to Apr 20 | Jul 17 to Sep 1 |
| Spinach | — | Mar 9 to Apr 20 | Aug 3 to Sep 21 |
Syracuse 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 Syracuse 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 13202 in about 60 seconds.
Syracuse planting questions
What planting zone is Syracuse, NY?+
Syracuse 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 Syracuse?+
The typical last spring frost in Syracuse, NY is around Apr 30. 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 Syracuse?+
The typical first fall frost in Syracuse, NY arrives around Oct 17, closing a growing season of roughly 170 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Syracuse?+
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 30. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.