When to plant potatoes in zone 8b

The zone 8b schedule for potatoes

Sow outdoors

February 24 to March 3

First harvest, roughly

May 20 to July 1

Plant for a fall crop

July 24 to 31

From the median frost dates of the NOAA stations assigned to the 2,613 ZIP codes in zone 8b, 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 8b

Zones are based on winter cold, not on frost dates, so the last spring frost varies a lot within a zone. Across zone 8b, the typical last frost ranges from about March 5 in the earliest tenth of ZIP codes to April 3 in the latest tenth, and the first fall frost from November 2 to November 24. For a typical place in the zone:

• February 25Risky: a later frost happens in 9 years out of 10
• March 17Typical: frost after this date in half of years
• April 6Safe: a later frost only 1 year in 10

Potatoes in zone 8b cities