One of the first steps you take when you are making a decision about your gardening schedule is find your 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.

It's possible to estimate when it's the best time to plant carrots by using the USDA zone info for Zone 7a.

Planting Calendar for Carrots

Frost tolerance for carrots:	Tolerant of some frost.
When to plant:	Up to 5 weeks before last frost.

Since carrots are moderately cold tolerant you can plant them just a bit earlier in the year than other frost tender plants.

The earliest that you can plant carrots in Zone 7a is February. However, you really should wait until March if you don't want to take any chances.

The last month that you can plant carrots and expect a good harvest is probably September. You probably don't want to wait any later than that or else your carrots may not have a chance to grow to maturity. Starting your carrots indoors is a great way to get them started a few weeks earlier.

Last Frost Date

On average the last frost is on April 15 in Zone 7a. You should expect an average low temperature of 0°F in the coldest months of winter.

Always keep in mind that USDA zone info for Zone 7a is an average and the actual date of last frost changes from year to year. Half of the time in Zone 7a there is a last frost after April 15 so be sure to be ready to protect your carrots in the event of a late frost.

USDA Zone Info for Zone 7a

Here is the info for USDA Zone 7a.

Average Date of Last Frost (spring)	April 15
Average Date of First Frost (fall)	October 15
Lowest Expected Low	0°F
Highest Expected Low	5°F

This means that on a really cold year, the coldest it will get is 0°F. On most years you should be prepared to experience lows near 5°F.

Plants to Grow in Zone 7a

You may be interested in your other planting guides for Zone 7a.