My Planting Calendar

What to plant in September in zone 7

USDA zone 7 has winter lows of 0 to 10°F, a typical last spring frost around Apr 5 and first fall frost around Oct 25, roughly 200 frost-free days. September is the "fall garden season" there.

18 crops have a sowing or planting window this month, including bok choy / pak choi, borage, dill, fava bean (broad bean), green onion / scallion, kohlrabi - and 15 of those windows close during September.

Dates come from the typical frost dates of USDA zone 7 (last frost Apr 5, first frost Oct 25). A zone covers many climates, so for dates tuned to your town use the planting calendar, or pick your state below.

Fall garden seasonSow or plant: 18Start indoors: 0Harvesting: 25

Zone 7: planting activity through the year

8
39
70
84
41
10
18
38
18
1
2
0
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Frost riskFrost-free: Apr 5 – Oct 25
Bars count the vegetables, herbs and fruit with a sowing or planting window in each month, from the state’s average frost dates. 18 have one in September; the busiest month is April (84).

Last chance in September

Bok Choy / Pak Choi (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Borage (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Dill (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Fava Bean (Broad Bean) (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Green Onion / Scallion (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Kohlrabi (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Lettuce (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Mache (Corn Salad) (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Mizuna (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Rapini (Broccoli Raab) (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 6) · Chervil (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 13) · Mustard Greens (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 13) · Spinach (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 13) · Tatsoi (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 13) · Turnip (sow for a fall crop, by Sep 13)

For fall and winter harvests (18)

Sowings counted back from zone 7's first fall frost, so the crop matures before the cold - or, for garlic and similar, planted after it.

CropWhat to doWindowThis month
Bok Choy / Pak ChoiSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
BorageSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
DillSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
Fava Bean (Broad Bean)Sow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
Green Onion / ScallionSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
KohlrabiSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
LettuceSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
Mache (Corn Salad)Sow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
MizunaSow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
Rapini (Broccoli Raab)Sow for a fall cropAug 20 – Sep 6Last chance - ends Sep 6
ChervilSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Last chance - ends Sep 13
Mustard GreensSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Last chance - ends Sep 13
SpinachSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Last chance - ends Sep 13
TatsoiSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Last chance - ends Sep 13
TurnipSow for a fall cropAug 27 – Sep 13Last chance - ends Sep 13
ArugulaSow for a fall cropSep 3 – Sep 20Sep 3 – Sep 20
WatercressSow for a fall cropSep 3 – Sep 20Sep 3 – Sep 20
RadishSow for a fall cropSep 10 – Sep 27Sep 10 – Sep 27

Harvesting in September

First harvests expected this month from crops sown or planted on time earlier in the season.

Luffa (Loofah Gourd) · Jul 18 – Sep 16Peanut · Jul 21 – Sep 9Chayote · Aug 17 – Sep 16Zucchini / Summer Squash · Sep 6 – Oct 8Cucumber · Sep 11 – Oct 18Broccoli · Sep 14 – Oct 26Cauliflower · Sep 14 – Oct 31Cabbage · Sep 14 – Nov 10Bush Bean · Sep 18 – Oct 15Kale · Sep 18 – Oct 20Lettuce · Sep 19 – Nov 5Brussels Sprouts · Sep 23 – Nov 9Bok Choy / Pak Choi · Sep 24 – Oct 26Mizuna · Sep 24 – Oct 21Swiss Chard · Sep 25 – Oct 22Napa Cabbage · Sep 25 – Nov 6Mustard Greens · Sep 26 – Oct 28Fennel (Bulb) · Sep 26 – Nov 7Cilantro / Coriander · Sep 27 – Nov 8Carrot · Sep 28 – Nov 4Radicchio · Sep 28 – Nov 24Dill · Sep 29 – Nov 5Rapini (Broccoli Raab) · Sep 29 – Nov 5Pea · Sep 30 – Nov 1Collard Greens · Sep 30 – Nov 6

Fall garden season: September garden jobs in zone 7

  1. The average first frost is October 25, about 6 weeks away. Pick tender crops (tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans) before it, or cover them on cold nights.
  2. Still time to sow or plant: bok choy / pak choi, borage, dill, fava bean (broad bean), green onion / scallion, kohlrabi. Fast greens and radishes are the safest bets this late.
  3. Row cover buys 4-6°F of frost protection and weeks of extra harvest - see season extension.
  4. Pull finished crops and sow a cover crop (cereal rye or crimson clover) into empty beds before the soil gets cold.

Questions gardeners ask

What can I plant in zone 7 in September?

18 crops have a window in September: bok choy / pak choi, borage, dill, fava bean (broad bean), green onion / scallion, kohlrabi, lettuce, mache (corn salad), mizuna, rapini (broccoli raab) and more. The tables above give the exact dates for each.

When are the last and first frost in zone 7?

The typical last spring frost is around Apr 5 and the first fall frost around Oct 25. These are broad zone averages, so your own town can be a week or two either side: look yours up by ZIP code in the planting calendar.

What can I harvest in zone 7 in September?

From plantings made on time: luffa (loofah gourd), peanut, chayote, zucchini / summer squash, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bush bean, kale.

September in states with land in zone 7

AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaGeorgiaIdahoIllinoisKansasKentucky

Zone 7 in other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustOctoberNovemberZone 7 overview →

What to plant in September in other zones

Zone 3Zone 4Zone 5Zone 6Zone 8Zone 9Zone 10All states →

Dates are computed from the zone’s typical frost dates and each crop’s timing in our crop database. Your garden may be a week or two either side.