This is because although the region is characterized as having a medium length growing season, it is suited to both warm and cold weather plants, rendering this zone accommodating to all but the most tender or those that rely exclusively on hot, dry weather to thrive. When growing vegetables in zone 6, you can use the long periods of cool weather in spring and fall to your advantage. One of the most important factors when growing vegetables in zone 6 is knowing the correct planting times for zone 6. These vary greatly for zone 6. This is because Sunset takes other things besides the coldest winter temperature average into account. Sign up for our newsletter. Keep reading to learn more about choosing the best vegetables for zone 6 and planting zone 6 vegetable gardens. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Conversely, the Sunset map for zone 6 is very small containing Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Then you have a wealth of zone 6 vegetable planting options. These dates will probably vary somewhat for you depending upon where you live in the zone, but regardless, it makes for a pretty long growing season that will accommodate most hot weather plants. If relying on the coldest average winter temperature, the last frost date is May 1 and the first frost date is November 1. Keep reading to learn more about choosing the best vegetables for zone 6 and planting zone 6 vegetable gardens. Most are annuals, but there are a few perennials as well. Log in, 10 Frugal Automatic Watering Systems Your Potted Plants Will Love, Growing Poppies for Decorative Seed Pods, Spice, and Beauty, Carbon to Nitrogen Compost Calculator: Create the Perfect Compost Pile, Edible Schoolyard NYC Brings Gardens To Low-Income Schools, 10 Natural Fly Repellents To Help Rid Your Home Of Flies, 16 DIY Salad Table Ideas to Get Fresh Salad With Little Garden Space, How To Prevent Common Sweet Corn Diseases. Even vegetables that could technically reach maturity if started outdoors will produce much better and longer if given a head start. That being said, some annuals need more time, and growing vegetables in zone 6 sometimes requires starting seeds indoors ahead of time. Find more gardening information on Gardening Know How: Keep up to date with all that's happening in and around the garden. Read on to find out when to plant vegetables in zone 6. For more information on vegetables well suited for you area, contact your local extension office for advice. They can also be started in the spring several weeks before the last frost, getting you an early start on the growing season. Remember, perennials will return each year, but they do require care when cool weather sets in to insulate them from the colder temperatures. This will, of course, vary due to our constantly changing weather patterns and is intended as a general guideline. Live in USDA zone 6?Then you have a wealth of zone 6 vegetable planting options. There is a zonal map put out by the United States Department of Agriculture and one put out by Sunset. Planting times for zone 6 will depend on whose zone map you are consulting. Sign up to get all the latest gardening tips! Sunset bases their map on factors such as elevation, latitude, humidity, rainfall, wind, soil conditions and other microclimate factors. The USDA map is broad of stroke and encompasses Massachusetts and Rhode Island, extends southwest through parts of New York and New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. The growing season for hot weather plants is relatively long and is bookended by periods of cool weather that are ideal for cold weather crops. The growing season for hot weather plants is relatively long and is bookended by periods of cool weather that are ideal for cold weather crops. Sign up for our newsletter. USDA zone 6 doesn’t stop there but branches out into northwestern Oklahoma, northern New Mexico and Arizona, and on into northern California. There are a variety of vegetables you can grow in planting zone six. These include: The earliest seeds to sow outdoors are cabbages in February followed by the following crops in March: Carrots, lettuceand beetscan go out in April while you can direct sow sweet potatoes, potatoes, and squashin May. 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Some plants can be started inside (typically around April) for later transplant. USDA zone 6 is an excellent climate for growing vegetables. In both cases, it’s important to remember that these are guidelines and winter or summer can come earlier or last longer than is typical. A very large area indeed! Many hot weather vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, peppersand melonswill benefit greatly from being started indoors several weeks before the average last frost and then planted out when the temperature rises. Zone Six Gardening Tips. This is because although the region is characterized as having a medium length growing season, it is suited to both warm and cold weather plants, rendering this zone accommodating to all but the most tender or those that rely exclusively on hot, dry weather to thrive.