Planting windows for Rockford
Computed from Rockford's own frost dates. Click any crop for the full zone-5 growing guide — varieties, spacing, fall plantings, and more.
| Crop | Start seeds indoors | Transplant | Direct sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | May 1 – May 8 | — |
| 🫑 Peppers | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | May 8 – May 15 | — |
| 🥬 Lettuce | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Mar 27 – Apr 24 |
| 🫛 Peas | — | — | Mar 13 – Mar 27 |
| 🥕 Carrots | — | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | — |
| 🥬 Kale | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | Mar 27 – Apr 10 |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | May 1 – May 8 | May 1 – May 8 |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Mar 27 – Apr 3 | May 1 – May 8 | May 1 – May 8 |
| 🫘 Green Beans (Bush) | — | — | May 1 – May 8 |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | — | — | May 1 – May 8 |
| 🌿 Basil | Mar 13 – Mar 27 | May 1 – May 8 | May 8 – May 15 |
| 🧄 Garlic | — | — | Fall: Sep 5 – Oct 3 |
Want this for all 50 crops, or as a printable seed-shelf schedule? Use the planting calendar and the seed starting scheduler — both can use Rockford's dates automatically after a lookup.
Reading the season in Rockford
Roughly 176 frost-free days gives Rockford gardeners room for nearly every common vegetable. Warm-season crops go out after Apr 24; a fall garden sown in late summer matures comfortably before the Oct 17 frost.