So! What can I plant in February in Zone 6?

Planting out in February mostly depends on where you live and what ‘zone’ you happen to fall in. Something that’s become a bit more confusing of late as those growing zones have changed! A new map put out in 2012 has basically shifted the numbers to the north a bit. I understand that my location in southwest Missouri which used to be Zone 6 is now Zone 6b which puts me a tad closer to Zone 7! This was all courtesy of global warming or so I’m told. Now, I guess what that map means is that I can plant stuff outside a little bit earlier in the year than I could before. But, is that really such a good guide?

Traditionally, most folks in the Midwestern States would wait until at least mid March before risking any seedlings or plants that could be killed by frost. Better still, Zone 6 people were advised to hold back until the first week of April as a late frost could still occur. I’ve always tended to follow that plan with the exception of onion starts which can be placed out just as soon as the soil can be worked. These cold hardy plants benefit from early plantings in good rich soil so they can be the best they can be by summer time.

I’ve already begun to keep an eye out at my local grocery stores for those bins filled with red, white and yellow onions, so that I can have them on hand during the next brief warm up outside. Last year in 2012, I saw them out in the first week of February and wrote a post on it. Those guys turned out really well and I enjoyed harvesting some as scallions as early as April of that year.