Fall Garden Planting Calculator — Latest Planting Date
Enter your first fall frost date, the days to maturity for your crop, and an optional harvest buffer. The calculator works backward to estimate the latest date you can plant and still expect a harvest before frost.
What this calculator determines
It works backward from your first fall frost date to estimate the latest date you can plant and still expect a harvest before frost.
Related calculators
Frost Date Planting Planner
Generate multiple planting dates relative to one frost date
Planting Date Calculator
Planting date relative to a frost date — weeks/days before or after
Days to Harvest Calculator
Estimated harvest date from planting date and days to maturity
Seed Starting Date Calculator
Indoor seed-starting date from target transplant date and weeks before
Succession Planting Calculator
Generate a succession planting schedule from start date and interval
Examples
First frost Oct 15, 60 days to maturity, 7 day buffer
First frost Oct 15, 60 days, 7 day buffer
Calculation
- Total: 60 + 7 = 67 days
- Oct 15 − 67 days = Aug 9
Latest planting date: Aug 9
Assumptions & Conventions
- Back-calculation
- Latest planting date = first frost − (days to maturity + harvest buffer).
- Estimate only
- Days to maturity and first frost dates vary with weather, variety, and location — plant earlier when possible.
- Inputs
- Days to maturity comes from your seed packet; the frost date and buffer are user-entered.