Match Days to Maturity with Your Growing Season

Select annual vegetable varieties whose "days to maturity" number fits within your frost-free growing window. Find your average last spring frost and first fall frost dates, calculate the days between them, and choose varieties that mature well within that span.

Why It Works

A tomato needing 90 days to mature will fail in a region with only 80 frost-free days. Picking short-season varieties ensures you harvest before cold weather arrives. This is especially critical in northern climates where growing windows can be under 120 days.

Tips

• Look up your local frost dates through your cooperative extension or the Farmer's Almanac
• Subtract 10-14 days from your frost-free window as a safety margin
• Start long-season crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors to extend your effective season
• "Days to maturity" on transplant crops counts from transplant date, not seed sowing