When to plant green beans in zone 6b
In zone 6b, where the last spring frost typically comes around April 23, sow outdoors May 12 to 26.
The zone 6b schedule for green beans
- Sow outdoors
- May 12 to 26
- Soil warm enough (60°F), about
- May 12
- Safest planting date (10% frost risk)
- May 9
- First harvest, roughly
- July 1 to August 4
From the median frost dates of the NOAA stations assigned to the 4,514 ZIP codes in zone 6b, and the timing recommended by Cooperative Extension guides for green beans.
Frost risk in zone 6b
Zones are based on winter cold, not on frost dates, so the last spring frost varies a lot within a zone. Across zone 6b, the typical last frost ranges from about April 10 in the earliest tenth of ZIP codes to May 6 in the latest tenth, and the first fall frost from October 9 to October 29. For a typical place in the zone:
- April 8Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
- April 23Typical: frost after this date in half of years
- May 9Safe: a later frost only 1 year in 10
Green Beans are killed by frost, so if you want to be safe, plant out after the safe date rather than the typical one, or be ready to cover plants on a cold night.
Your dates for green beans
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant green beans where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
Green Beans in zone 6b cities
| City | Typical last frost | Plant | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | Apr 18 | May 6 to 20 | — |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | May 22 to Jun 5 | — |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 21 | May 17 to 31 | — |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Apr 27 to May 11 | Aug 10 to 17 |
| Cleveland, OH | Apr 8 | May 15 to 29 | — |
| Cincinnati, OH | Apr 16 | May 2 to 16 | — |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Apr 24 | May 11 to 25 | — |
| Buffalo, NY | Apr 24 | May 23 to Jun 6 | — |
| Toledo, OH | Apr 20 | May 13 to 27 | — |
| Boise City, ID | Apr 24 | May 16 to 30 | — |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 26 | May 30 to Jun 13 | — |
| Rochester, NY | Apr 24 | May 20 to Jun 3 | — |
How to grow green beansAll zonesGreen Beans in zone 6aGreen Beans in zone 7aAbout zone 6b
Sources
- How to Grow Beans in Your Garden · Utah State University Extension
- Growing Beans in a Home Garden · University of Maryland Extension
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP103/VH021) · University of Florida IFAS Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005) · University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- Home Garden Beans (HGV-8) · University of Hawaii CTAHR
- GN 154: Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination (Harrington emergence table) · UC Cooperative Extension, Sacramento County (UC ANR)
- The Fall Vegetable Garden (HO-66-W) · Purdue University Extension
- Fall Vegetable Gardening (SPES-801) · Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Vegetable Gardening in Containers · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Growing Vegetables in Containers · University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension