Amherst, NY Planting Dates — Moon Phase Garden

The four dates that matter

Date	When	What it means
Last spring frost (50%)	May 3	Half of all years see a freeze after this date. It is an average, not a guarantee.
Last spring frost (10%)	May 18	Only one year in ten freezes after this. Use it for anything you cannot afford to replant.
First fall frost (50%)	Oct 17	Half of all years freeze before this date. Fall crops are counted back from here.
First fall frost (10%)	Oct 2	An early-freeze year. If a crop must finish, aim to harvest before this.

USDA zone 6a 167 frost-free days Modelled estimate

Spring & summer planting in Amherst

Dates are calculated from this location's own last-frost date, not from a generic zone chart. “Best moon days” are the days inside each window that fall in the crop's traditional phase — the same rule the app uses.

Crop	Start seed indoors	Plant outdoors	Best moon days	Days to harvest
Strawberry (crowns) transplant	—	Mar 4 – Apr 12	Apr 1 Full Moon	perennial — first real harvest next season
Garlic cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Mar 17 – Apr 17	Apr 2–7 Waning Gibbous	240–300
Asparagus (crowns) transplant	—	Mar 22 – Apr 26	Mar 25, Apr 23 First Quarter	perennial — first real harvest 2–3 years
Chives either	Mar 8	Mar 22 – Apr 26	Mar 22–24, Apr 18–20 Waxing Crescent	75–90
Onion (from sets/transplants) cloves/sets	—	Mar 22 – Apr 26	Apr 2–7 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Peas (English/snap) direct sow	—	Mar 22 – Apr 26	Mar 25, Apr 23 First Quarter	55–75
Spinach direct sow	—	Mar 22 – Apr 26	Mar 22–24, Apr 18–20 Waxing Crescent	35–50
Cabbage transplant	Mar 1	Mar 29 – Apr 26	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	65–90
Collards either	Mar 22	Mar 29 – May 17	Apr 18–22, May 17 Waxing Crescent	55–85
Kale either	Mar 22	Mar 29 – May 3	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	50–65
Lettuce (leaf) either	Mar 29	Mar 29 – May 24	Apr 18–22, May 17 Waxing Crescent	40–55
Potato cloves/sets	—	Mar 29 – May 3	Apr 1, May 1 Full Moon	70–120
Radish direct sow	—	Mar 29 – May 24	Apr 2–7 Waning Gibbous	22–35
Turnip direct sow	—	Mar 29 – May 10	Apr 2–7 Waning Gibbous	40–60
Broccoli transplant	Mar 1	Apr 3 – May 3	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Brussels Sprouts transplant	Mar 1	Apr 3 – May 3	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	90–110
Leek transplant	Feb 22	Apr 3 – May 3	Apr 3–8 Waning Gibbous	100–120
Lettuce (head) transplant	Mar 15	Apr 3 – May 3	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	60–85
Parsley either	Mar 1	Apr 3 – May 10	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	70–90
Parsnip direct sow	—	Apr 3 – May 10	May 1 Full Moon	100–150
Shallot cloves/sets Better planted in fall — see below	—	Apr 3 – May 3	Apr 3–8 Waning Gibbous	90–120
Beet direct sow	—	Apr 5 – May 24	May 1 Full Moon	50–65
Kohlrabi either	Mar 22	Apr 5 – May 10	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	45–60
Carrot direct sow	—	Apr 12 – May 24	May 1 Full Moon	65–85
Cauliflower transplant	Mar 1	Apr 12 – May 3	Apr 18–22 Waxing Crescent	55–80
Cilantro direct sow	—	Apr 12 – May 24	Apr 18–22, May 17 Waxing Crescent	45–70
Swiss Chard direct sow	—	Apr 12 – Jun 2	Apr 18–22, May 17 Waxing Crescent	50–60
Dill direct sow	—	Apr 19 – Jun 2	Apr 19–22, May 17–18 Waxing Crescent	40–60
Cucumber either	Apr 12	May 3 – Jun 2	May 23 First Quarter	50–70
Green Beans (bush) direct sow	—	May 3 – Jun 17	May 23 First Quarter	50–65
Oregano transplant	Mar 8	May 3 – May 24	May 23 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sage transplant	Mar 8	May 3 – May 24	May 23 First Quarter	cut as needed
Sweet Corn direct sow	—	May 3 – Jun 17	May 23 First Quarter	60–100
Thyme transplant	Mar 8	May 3 – May 24	May 23 First Quarter	cut as needed
Zucchini / Summer Squash either	Apr 12	May 3 – Jun 2	May 23 First Quarter	45–60
Basil either	Mar 22	May 10 – Jun 2	May 17–22 Waxing Crescent	30–60
Dry Beans direct sow	—	May 10 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	85–100
Pole Beans direct sow	—	May 10 – Jun 12	May 23 First Quarter	60–75
Pumpkin direct sow	Apr 12	May 10 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	90–120
Rosemary transplant	May 3	May 10 – Jun 2	May 23 First Quarter	cut as needed
Tomatillo transplant	Mar 22	May 10 – Jun 2	May 23 First Quarter	60–75
Tomato transplant	Mar 22	May 10 – Jun 2	May 23 First Quarter	60–85
Winter Squash direct sow	Apr 12	May 10 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	85–110
Cantaloupe / Muskmelon either	Apr 12	May 17 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	75–90
Eggplant transplant	Mar 8	May 17 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	60–90
Okra direct sow	Apr 5	May 17 – Jun 12	May 23 First Quarter	50–70
Pepper transplant	Mar 8	May 17 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	60–90
Sweet Potato slips	—	May 17 – Jun 12	Jun 1–6 Waning Gibbous	90–150
Watermelon either	Apr 12	May 17 – Jun 7	May 23 First Quarter	70–90

Fall planting in Amherst

Fall dates count backward from the first frost, and they add time back for the “fall factor” — days are shortening and cooling, so a crop grows slower than the seed packet promises. Sowing late is the single most common way a fall garden fails.

Crop	Sow or set out	Best moon days	Days to harvest	Hardiness
Brussels Sprouts	Jun 4 – Jun 21	Jun 15–20	90–110	hardy
Potato	Jun 9 – Jul 11	Jun 29	70–120	semi-hardy
Pole Beans	Jun 24 – Jul 7	—	60–75	tender
Parsley	Jun 27 – Jul 11	—	70–90	semi-hardy
Okra	Jun 29 – Jul 29	Jul 21	50–70	very tender
Cabbage	Jul 4 – Jul 16	Jul 15–16	65–90	hardy
Carrot	Jul 4 – Jul 16	—	65–85	semi-hardy
Collards	Jul 4 – Jul 26	Jul 15–20	55–85	hardy
Cucumber	Jul 4 – Jul 17	—	50–70	tender
Broccoli	Jul 9 – Jul 26	Jul 15–20	55–80	hardy
Cauliflower	Jul 9 – Jul 26	Jul 15–20	55–80	semi-hardy
Green Beans (bush)	Jul 9 – Jul 17	—	50–65	tender
Lettuce (head)	Jul 9 – Jul 21	Jul 15–20	60–85	semi-hardy
Peas (English/snap)	Jul 9 – Jul 26	Jul 21	55–75	hardy
Beet	Jul 14 – Jul 31	Jul 29	50–65	semi-hardy
Kale	Jul 14 – Jul 31	Jul 15–20	50–65	hardy
Swiss Chard	Jul 14 – Jul 31	Jul 15–20	50–60	semi-hardy
Zucchini / Summer Squash	Jul 14 – Jul 22	Jul 21	45–60	tender
Basil	Jul 19 – Aug 6	Jul 19–20	30–60	very tender
Kohlrabi	Jul 19 – Aug 5	Jul 19–20	45–60	hardy
Cilantro	Jul 24 – Aug 5	—	45–70	semi-hardy
Lettuce (leaf)	Jul 24 – Aug 10	—	40–55	semi-hardy
Turnip	Jul 24 – Aug 10	Jul 30–Aug 4	40–60	hardy
Spinach	Jul 29 – Aug 15	Aug 13–15	35–50	hardy
Dill	Aug 3 – Aug 10	—	40–60	semi-hardy
Radish	Aug 3 – Aug 28	Aug 3–4	22–35	hardy
Garlic	Sep 17 – Nov 7	Sep 27–Oct 2	240–300	hardy
Shallot	Oct 1 – Nov 1	Oct 1–2, Oct 27–30	90–120	hardy

Bottom line: the 50% frost date is a coin flip, not a green light. If you would be sick about losing a flat of tomatoes, plant to the May 18 date instead and keep a row cover handy either way.

Where these numbers come from

There is no long-record weather station inside Amherst itself, so these frost dates are modelled, not observed. They come from a half-degree climate grid built by fitting the freeze dates of 6,808 NOAA stations (1991–2020 Normals) against terrain and the USDA 2023 hardiness raster, then reading the cell your city sits in. Checked against the stations themselves, that model lands within about a week on average — and its zone matches the station's exactly 67% of the time and within one half-zone 97% of the time. A cell covers roughly 35 by 28 miles, so this is a neighborhood answer, not a backyard one. If there is a station-backed location near you, prefer it.

How precise is any of this?

Extension recommendations for the same crop routinely disagree by two to four weeks, and occasionally more, so these offsets should be presented as windows and starting points rather than deadlines. Three things drive the spread. (1) Regional risk tolerance: for warm-season crops, Colorado State and Utah State put tomatoes, peppers and melons out about 14 days after the last frost, while University of Missouri's calendar works out to roughly 25-35 days after the last frost and University of Maryland's window runs from the frost date itself out to 45 days past it. That is a real 6-week spread for the single most popular garden crop, and it exists because a short-season mountain state is optimizing against a short season while a humid continental state is optimizing against cold, wet spring soil. (2) Soil temperature versus calendar date: most Extension services now say the honest trigger is soil temperature at 4 inches, not the frost date, and the frost-relative number is a convenience translation. A cold, wet spring can push the real date two or three weeks past the calendar recommendation. (3) Days-to-maturity is variety-specific and is measured differently for direct-seeded versus transplanted crops - seed catalogs count from transplant date for tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and cole crops, but from sowing for roots and greens - so a 'days to maturity' range of 60-85 for tomato is genuinely 60-85 depending on which packet you bought. Additionally, the average last frost is a 50% probability, meaning half of all years have a frost after that date; Extension services commonly advise waiting 1-2 weeks past it for anything frost-tender, or being prepared to cover. Treat every number here as plus or minus about 10-14 days.

On the station itself: a weather station is one point. Cities hold their heat, valleys pool cold air, and a garden on a north slope can run two weeks behind one a mile away. Treat this page as your starting point and let your own garden correct it — that is exactly what the journal in the app is for.

Nearby locations

Buffalo, NY zone 6a Rochester, NY zone 6b Erie, PA zone 7a Syracuse, NY zone 6a Cleveland, OH zone 6b Akron, OH zone 6b

Want this on your phone, in your garden? Moon Phase Garden keeps your frost dates, your planting windows and tonight's moon phase in one place, works offline, and lets you override these dates with what your own garden actually does. Free and ad-free.

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