When to plant potatoes in zone 6b
In zone 6b, where the last spring frost typically comes around April 23, sow outdoors April 13 to 20.
The zone 6b schedule for potatoes
- Sow outdoors
- April 13 to 20
- Soil warm enough (50°F), about
- April 13
- First harvest, roughly
- July 7 to August 18
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 potatoes.
Dates before the last frost assume the soil has thawed and is dry enough to work: a squeezed handful crumbles instead of sticking. After a late or wet spring, wait for that even if the date has passed.
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
Your dates for potatoes
Set your ZIP code at the top of the page and we will work out when to plant potatoes where you live, from the frost records of the nearest NOAA weather station. Your ZIP code is remembered on this device only.
Potatoes in zone 6b cities
| City | Typical last frost | Plant | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus, OH | Apr 18 | Apr 8 to 15 | — |
| Boston, MA | Apr 4 | Apr 19 to 26 | Jul 20 to 27 |
| Detroit, MI | Apr 21 | Apr 21 to 28 | — |
| Kansas City, MO | Apr 4 | Mar 26 to Apr 2 | Jul 13 to 20 |
| Cleveland, OH | Apr 8 | Apr 18 to 25 | Jul 23 to 30 |
| Cincinnati, OH | Apr 16 | Apr 3 to 10 | — |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Apr 24 | Apr 12 to 19 | — |
| Buffalo, NY | Apr 24 | Apr 26 to May 3 | — |
| Toledo, OH | Apr 20 | Apr 17 to 24 | — |
| Boise City, ID | Apr 24 | Apr 13 to 20 | — |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 26 | Apr 24 to May 1 | — |
| Rochester, NY | Apr 24 | Apr 23 to 30 | — |
How to grow potatoesAll zonesPotatoes in zone 6aPotatoes in zone 7aAbout zone 6b
Sources
- Potato (HGIC 1317) · Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- How to Grow Potatoes in Your Garden · Utah State University Extension
- Easy Gardening: Irish Potatoes (EHT-068) · Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service
- Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide (SP 103/VH021) · UF/IFAS Extension
- Vegetable Planting Calendar for Maricopa County (AZ1005) · University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
- Solanum tuberosum · NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Types of Containers for Growing Vegetables · University of Maryland Extension
- Grow Potatoes in a Trash Can · UGA Cooperative Extension, DeKalb County