Help & FAQ

Getting Started

SowByZone gives you planting dates based on your exact location. No more guessing when to start seeds or transplant outdoors. Here's how to get going in under a minute:

1. Enter your ZIP code on the homepage. We'll find your USDA zone and climate region automatically.
2. Pick a plant. Click any plant card to see its full growing guide for your area.
3. Save plants to your garden. Build a personal planting list so all your dates are in one place.
4. Print your calendar. Take your planting schedule to the garden shed.

Setting Your Location

Your location determines everything: frost dates, growing season length, and when to plant each crop. SowByZone uses two pieces of information:

USDA Hardiness Zone

Zones range from 3a (coldest) to 10b (warmest). Your zone is based on the average minimum winter temperature where you live. It tells us roughly how long your growing season is.

Climate Region

Two gardens in the same zone can have very different weather. A Zone 7a garden in Atlanta gets warm, humid springs. A Zone 7a garden in Virginia has cooler, later springs. We pair your zone with one of 13 climate regions so your dates actually match your weather.

How to Set It

1. Find the "Find Your Growing Zone" box on the homepage.
2. Type your 5-digit US ZIP code and click Find Zone.
3. Your zone, region, and frost dates appear instantly.

Your location is saved in your browser automatically. To change it later, click "Look up a different zone" in the zone finder, or use the location indicator in the top navigation bar.

Finding Plants

SowByZone has guides for 105 plants across vegetables, herbs, and flowers. There are several ways to find what you're looking for:

Search

Use the search box above the plant grid on the homepage. Start typing a plant name (like "tomato" or "basil") and results filter instantly.

Category Filters

Click the filter tabs (Tomatoes, Peppers, Leafy Greens, Herbs, etc.) to browse by category. The count updates to show how many plants match.

Navigation Menu

The Plants dropdown in the top navigation groups plants by category. Click any plant name to go directly to its guide for your zone.

Understanding Plant Pages

Each plant guide is written specifically for your zone and climate region. Here's what you'll find:

Quick Reference Card

At the top of every guide, you'll see a card with the key dates at a glance: when to start seeds indoors, when to transplant or direct sow outdoors, and when to expect your first harvest.

Planting Timeline

A visual timeline shows every milestone from seed starting through harvest. Dates are calculated from your region's frost data, not generic estimates.

Growing Guide

Below the timeline, you'll find practical growing advice tailored to your climate: soil prep, watering, fertilizing, pest management, and harvest tips.

Companion Plants

Each guide lists good and bad companions. Planting the right neighbors can improve growth and reduce pest problems.

Using My Garden

My Garden is your personal planting dashboard. It collects all the plants you've saved and shows their dates in one place.

Adding Plants

There are two ways to add plants:

• From a plant guide: Click the "Add to My Garden" button on any plant page.
• From the homepage: Hover over a plant card and click the + button in the corner.

Viewing Your Garden

Visit My Garden to see all your saved plants. Each plant shows its planting status: upcoming, active, or past. You can also see how many days until your next milestone.

Removing Plants

On the My Garden page, click the remove button next to any plant to take it off your list.

The Calendar

The "What to Do Now" section on the homepage shows what needs your attention this month. It groups plants into four activities:

• Start Seeds Indoors — Plants that need to be started under lights or on a windowsill this month.
• Ready to Transplant — Seedlings that are ready to move outdoors.
• Direct Sow — Seeds you can plant directly in the garden soil.
• Harvest Time — Plants that should be ready to pick.

Below the plant activities, you'll also see general garden tasks and zone-specific tasks for the month.

Printing Your Calendar

Every zone and region combination has a printable planting calendar. It's a clean table showing all 105 plants with their key dates.

How to Print

1. Click "Print Calendar" on the homepage zone finder, or visit your zone's print page directly.
2. The print page opens with a table of all plants sorted by planting date.
3. Use your browser's print function (Ctrl+P on Windows, Cmd+P on Mac).
4. Choose "Save as PDF" if you want a digital copy instead of paper.

The calendar is formatted for letter-size paper and includes your frost dates and growing season length at the top.

Managing Multiple Locations

Garden in more than one spot? Maybe a backyard garden and a community plot in a different zone. SowByZone lets you create multiple gardens and switch between them.

Creating a New Garden

1. Click the garden icon in the top navigation bar.
2. Click "New Garden" in the dropdown.
3. Give it a name (like "Community Plot") and enter the ZIP code.
4. Your new garden is now active, and all dates update to match its location.

Switching Gardens

Click the garden icon and select a different garden from the list. The entire site updates to show dates for that location. Each garden keeps its own plant list.

Managing Gardens

Use the "Manage Gardens" option to rename, delete, or export your gardens. You can also import a garden from a backup file.

Companion Planting

Some plants grow better when planted near certain neighbors. Others should be kept apart. SowByZone includes companion planting information in two places:

On Plant Guide Pages

Each plant guide has a companion planting section listing good companions (plants that help each other) and bad companions (plants that should be kept apart).

Companion Planting Guide

Visit the Companion Planting page for a complete reference chart. It shows all plant pairings at a glance so you can plan your garden layout.

Understanding Planting Dates

SowByZone calculates dates differently from most gardening sites. Here's how it works and why your dates might differ from other sources.

How Dates Are Calculated

Every date is based on two things: your region's average frost dates and each plant's specific timing needs. For example, tomatoes need 6-8 weeks indoors before transplanting after the last frost. If your last frost is April 15, we count backward to get your indoor start date.

Why Dates Are Shown as Ranges

Frost dates vary year to year. A range like "Mar 15 - Apr 5" accounts for this. Start on the earlier side in mild years. Wait for the later date if your spring is cold or wet.

Zone + Region = Better Accuracy

Most sites give the same dates to everyone in Zone 6b. But Zone 6b in Ohio and Zone 6b in Virginia have different spring timing. By pairing your zone with a climate region, we give you dates that match your actual weather patterns.

Three Planting Methods

• Indoor start: Start seeds indoors under lights, then transplant outside after the last frost. Best for heat-loving crops like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
• Direct sow: Plant seeds directly in the garden soil. Works well for root vegetables, beans, and many greens.
• Transplant: Buy starts from a nursery and plant them outdoors. A shortcut if you missed the indoor start window.

FAQ

Contact & Feedback

SowByZone is a passion project built to help home gardeners plant at the right time. We'd love to hear from you.

Report a Bug

Found something broken? A wrong date, a page that won't load, or a feature that isn't working? Let us know so we can fix it.

Request a Plant

Don't see a plant you grow? We're always adding new ones. Tell us what you'd like to see.

General Feedback

Ideas for improvements, kind words, or constructive criticism — all welcome.