When to Plant Green beans in Zone 3a

One of the best tools that you have as gardeners to help us estimate your gardening schedule is the USDA zone info. The most important data that the zone info tells us is average last frost and the lowest expected temperature for your area.

In Zone 3a you can estimate when to plant green beans by looking at the USDA zone info.


Planting Calendar for Green beans

Frost tolerance for green beans: Not tolerant of frost.
When to plant: After the last frost when the weather gets warmer.

You can not plant green beans until after the last frost because they do not do well in cold weather.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Legend 
A good time to plant green beans
Possibly ok, but a risky time to plant green beans
Probably not a good time to plant green beans

The earliest that you can plant green beans in Zone 3a is May. However, you really should wait until June if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant green beans and expect a good harvest is probably August. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your green beans may not have a chance to really do well. If you are starting your green beans indoors then you might be able to get away with starting them a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

In Zone 3a the average date of last frost happens on May 15. It might get as low as -40°F during the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that the actual date of last frost may not be accurate from year to year because it is based on the USDA zone info for Zone 3a and it changes from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 3a last frost occurs after May 15 so make sure that you are prepared to protect your green beans in the event of one of those late frosts.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 3a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 3a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)May 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)September 15
Lowest Expected Low-40°F
Highest Expected Low-35°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is -40°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near -35°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 3a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 3a.