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Fall & Winter Garden Planting Calendar 2026

Zone 6b Brownsville, Ohio — first frost ~Oct 15, hard freeze ~Nov 15 · open-field timing (no row cover / cold frame)

Fall dates are counted back from the ~Oct 15 first frost: last sow/transplant = frost − (days-to-maturity + ~2-week "fall factor" for shortening days). Frost-hardy crops (blue tolerance pill) keep growing or hold in the ground past frost, so their harvest bars run into late fall and winter. Today (Jun 14) is marked by the yellow line — long-season crops to start now are under "Start indoors now."

Start indoors Sow / transplant window Last sow date Harvest window ┊ Light frost (Oct 15) ┊ Hard freeze (Nov 15) │ Today
Crop JunJulAugSepOctNovDecJan

Reference table

Click any column header to sort. Method: DS = direct sow · TP = transplant · SI→TP = start indoors then transplant. Frost: HH = half-hardy (light frost, ~28–32°F) · H = hardy (~20–28°F) · VH = very hardy (<20°F / overwinters open-field). "Last sow" is the latest practical direct-sow or transplant date for a fall crop.

Crop Variety Category DTM Method Last sow / TP Frost Spacing Notes
Dates are guidelines for an average Zone 6b season in Licking County; adjust for the actual fall and your microclimate. Open-field only — a single layer of row cover or a cold frame typically buys 1–2 extra weeks of sowing and pushes hardy-crop harvest deep into winter. Garlic, shallots, parsnip, leeks, mache, claytonia, tatsoi, overwintering spinach and bunching onions are the crops that genuinely hold or overwinter without protection here.