What to Plant in February USA
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What to plant in February in the USA depends entirely on your zone — this page answers it for every band. February is the main indoor seed-starting month across most of the USA. Cold-band gardeners start onions and celery; mild-band gardeners start tomatoes and peppers indoors and direct sow peas; hot-band gardeners are already direct sowing warm-season crops in the low desert.
February planting by region
| Band | Sow outdoors | Start indoors | Plant out | Harvest now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cold band USDA zones 3-5 |
Nothing outdoors. | Onions, leeks, celery; brassicas late month. | None. | Stored crops; forced chicory and rhubarb. |
|
Mild band USDA zones 6-7 |
Peas, spinach, radish and fava beans as soil becomes workable. | Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, brassicas. | Onion sets; brassica transplants late month. | Overwintered greens, leeks, parsnips. |
|
Hot band USDA zones 8-10 |
Beans, corn, squash and cucumbers in the low desert; carrots, beets and greens everywhere in the band. | A second round of tomatoes for succession. | Tomato and pepper transplants in south Texas and Florida. | Brassicas, peas, greens, root crops, citrus. |
February garden jobs
- Start tomatoes and peppers indoors counting back from YOUR last frost date.
- Set up lighting — a sunny windowsill is not enough and produces leggy plants.
- Chit seed potatoes in a cool, light place if you grow them.
- Prune dormant fruit trees and canes before buds break.
- Prepare beds on dry days only; never work wet soil.
Common February mistakes
- Counting forward from a calendar date instead of backward from your own last frost date.
- Sowing warm-season crops outdoors in the mild band — soil is still far below the 60°F minimum tender crops need.
- Over-watering seedlings, which is the main cause of damping-off.
- Potting on too early, before the first true leaves appear.
Turn February's jobs into a written plan. The USA Vegetable Garden Planner (printable PDF) has frost-date planning pages, bed layouts, crop rotation, a sowing log and a harvest tracker — 74 printable pages.
More USA planting guides
- What to plant in January USA
- What to plant in March USA
- Vegetable Planting Calendar USA
- Vegetable Growing Guides for the USA
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start tomato seeds in the USA?
Six to eight weeks before your average last spring frost. In zones 3-5 that is usually March or early April; in zones 6-7 it is February; in zones 9-10, December or January for a spring crop.
Can I plant peas in February?
In zones 6 and warmer, usually yes, as soon as the soil is workable and above about 40°F. In zones 3-5 the ground is still frozen and February sowing will rot.
Do I need grow lights to start seeds?
For February sowings, effectively yes. Day length is still short, and seedlings grown on a windowsill stretch toward the light and never fully recover.
Plan your February beds
Turn this month's list into a layout: sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner, then follow the whole season with the USA Vegetable Garden Planner (printable PDF, 74 pages). For the full year, see the USA vegetable planting calendar, browse every crop in the USA growing guides, or use the USA site directory.
Last updated 25 August 2026
Turn This Month's Jobs Into A Plan
Month-by-month advice works best when it becomes a written sowing list, bed plan, and follow-up task list.
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Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.