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What to Plant in October — USDA Zone 5a

Here's everything you can start, transplant, sow, and harvest in October in USDA Zone 5a. This zone has an average last spring frost around April 25 and first fall frost around October 8, with a growing season of approximately 166 days.

There are 15 planting activities for October in Zone 5a.

Zone 5a Moderate season
166 days
❄
Last Spring Frost April 25
➔ 166 growing days ➔
❄
First Fall Frost October 8

Where Is Zone 5a?

AL — Zone 7b AL AR — Zone 7b AR AZ — Zone 8a AZ CA — Zone 9a CA CO — Zone 5a CO CT — Zone 6b CT DE — Zone 7a DE FL — Zone 9a FL GA — Zone 7b GA IA — Zone 5a IA ID — Zone 5b ID IL — Zone 5b IL IN — Zone 6a IN KS — Zone 6a KS KY — Zone 6b KY LA — Zone 8b LA MA — Zone 6a MA MD — Zone 7a MD ME — Zone 4b ME MI — Zone 5b MI MN — Zone 4a MN MO — Zone 6a MO MS — Zone 8a MS MT — Zone 4b MT NC — Zone 7a NC ND — Zone 3b ND NE — Zone 5a NE NH — Zone 5a NH NJ — Zone 7a NJ NM — Zone 6b NM NV — Zone 6b NV NY — Zone 5b NY OH — Zone 6a OH OK — Zone 7a OK OR — Zone 7a OR PA — Zone 6a PA RI — Zone 6b RI SC — Zone 8a SC SD — Zone 4a SD TN — Zone 7a TN TX — Zone 8a TX UT — Zone 5b UT VA — Zone 7a VA VT — Zone 4b VT WA — Zone 7a WA WI — Zone 4b WI WV — Zone 6a WV WY — Zone 4a WY AK — Zone 2a AK HI — Zone 11a HI
Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Harvest in October

Plant Type Date Range Days to Maturity
Alpine Strawberries Fruit 90–180 days
Anise Herb 90–120 days
Bee Balm Herb 90–120 days
Belgian Endive Vegetable 110–150 days
Cumin Herb 100–120 days
Echinacea Herb 120–180 days
Feverfew Herb 90–120 days
Horseradish Vegetable 120–180 days
Hot Peppers Vegetable 70–120 days
Lavender Herb 90–200 days
Leeks Vegetable 90–150 days
Strawberries Fruit 90–365 days
Sunchoke Vegetable 110–150 days
Valerian Herb 120–180 days
Yarrow Herb 90–120 days

Other Months for Zone 5a

October Planting by State

Data sources: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023), NOAA 30-Year Climate Normals, University Cooperative Extension planting guides. Planting dates are estimates based on average frost dates — local conditions may vary. Last updated: April 2026.

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