What to plant in February in the South

Worked out for 46 cities from their own weather and frost dates, by zone.

What to sow and plant in February in the South, by zone: frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F (New Orleans and Mobile): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, radish and 38 more; frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F (Birmingham (United States), Savannah and 10 more): broad bean, peas, onion, lettuce, radish and 35 more; frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F (Atlanta, Nashville and 24 more): broad bean, peas, onion, spinach, lettuce and 27 more; frost possible, highs below 50 °F (Washington, D.C., Baltimore and 4 more): broad bean, peas, spinach, lettuce, radish and 17 more.

In the South, February is winter.

Frost-free, highs of 61–72 °F: New Orleans and Mobile

In February, on average, these cities have highs of 67 to 68 °F and lows of 51 to 53 °F, 4.1 to 4.6 in of rain on 10 to 12 days; the day lasts 11 h 06 min to 11 h 08 min (on the 15th).

No frost in February in 10 years of data: frost-tender crops can go in too, if it is warm enough for them.

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, beet, sweet corn, parsley, cilantro, arugula, bok choy, borage, chamomile, chayote, chickpea, corn, dill, Florence fennel, kohlrabi, mustard greens, Napa cabbage	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
start indoors, plant out in April	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, basil, achocha, luffa, okra, peanut	all
sow direct	Green Beans	New Orleans
start indoors, plant out in May	Celeriac, celery	all
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in March	Kiwano	all

Compared with January: new — green beans, borage, corn, luffa and okra; no longer sown — spinach, carrot, broccoli, cauliflower, daikon, kale and parsnip.

Not starting in February: spinach (November, started indoors) — dates for Mobile.

Ready to harvest in February in Mobile, if sown in the right month: broad bean (November), peas (December), spinach (December), lettuce (December), radish (January), carrot (December), broccoli (November) and Swiss chard (December).

Frost possible, highs of 61–72 °F: Birmingham (United States), Savannah, Charleston, Montgomery and 8 more

In February, on average, these cities have highs of 62 to 68 °F and lows of 43 to 51 °F, 2.8 to 6.0 in of rain on 8 to 12 days; the day lasts 10 h 57 min to 11 h 07 min (on the 15th).

February falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait. Average last frost: Savannah (February 10), Charleston (February 4), Baton Rouge (February 6), Jackson (February 24), Shreveport (February 20), Lafayette (February 19) and Gulfport (February 7).

How	What	Where
sow direct	Broad bean, peas, lettuce, radish, cabbage, Swiss chard, beet, parsley, cilantro, arugula, chamomile, chickpea, dill, kohlrabi, mustard greens	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	all
sow direct	Spinach	Birmingham (United States) and Wilmington
sow direct	Carrot, broccoli, kale, parsnip	Birmingham (United States), Charleston and Wilmington
start indoors, plant out in April	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha, bok choy, kiwano, luffa, Napa cabbage, peanut	Savannah, Charleston, Baton Rouge and 4 more
start indoors, plant out in May	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all
start indoors, plant out in March	Okra	Savannah, Baton Rouge, Jackson and 3 more
sow direct	Daikon	Birmingham (United States), Charleston, Columbia and 1 more

Compared with January: new — zucchini, cucumber, melon, watermelon, pumpkin, sweet corn, basil, achocha and 6 more; no longer sown — cauliflower and turnip.

Not starting in February: green beans (April, sown direct) — dates for Macon.

Ready to harvest in February in Macon, if sown in the right month: broad bean (November), peas (December), spinach (December), lettuce (December), radish (January), carrot (December), cabbage (October) and broccoli (November).

Frost possible, highs of 50–61 °F: Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte, Oklahoma City and 22 more

In February, on average, these cities have highs of 50 to 60 °F and lows of 31 to 42 °F, 1.5 to 6.9 in of rain on 5 to 13 days; the day lasts 10 h 46 min to 10 h 59 min (on the 15th).

February falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait.

How	What	Where
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in March	Broad bean, lettuce, Swiss chard, beet, arugula, chamomile	all
sow direct	Peas, radish	all
plant sets	Onion, shallot	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 22 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in March	Spinach, kale, kohlrabi	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 22 more
sow direct	Carrot, broccoli	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 12 more
sow direct	Cabbage, daikon	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 22 more
start indoors, plant out in March	Cauliflower	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 19 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 17 more
sow direct or start indoors, plant out in April	Parsley	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 20 more
sow direct	Cilantro, chickpea	Atlanta and Athens (United States)
start indoors, plant out in May	Celeriac, celery, chayote	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 22 more
sow direct	Parsnip	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 21 more
sow direct	Turnip	Nashville, Charlotte, Louisville and 14 more
sow direct	Dill, mustard greens	Atlanta, Nashville, Charlotte and 13 more

Compared with January: new — tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, cilantro, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa and chickpea; no longer sown — Brussels sprouts.

Not starting in February: zucchini (March, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Knoxville.

Ready to harvest in February in Knoxville, if sown in the right month: broad bean (November), peas (December), spinach (December), radish (January), cabbage (October), broccoli (November) and turnip (December).

Frost possible, highs below 50 °F: Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dover, Annapolis and 2 more

In February, on average, these cities have highs of 47 to 49 °F and lows of 29 to 33 °F, 3.0 to 4.6 in of rain on 10 to 13 days; the day lasts 10 h 42 min to 10 h 45 min (on the 15th).

February falls in the frost season: frost-tender crops wait.

How	What	Where
start indoors, plant out in March	Broad bean, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, Swiss chard, beet, arugula, chamomile, kale, kohlrabi	all
sow direct	Peas, radish	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dover and 1 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Cabbage, Brussels sprouts	Morgantown
start indoors, plant out in April	Tomato, bell pepper, eggplant, chili pepper, Florence fennel, moringa	Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Dover and 1 more
start indoors, plant out in April	Parsley	all
start indoors, plant out in May	Celeriac, celery, chayote	all

Compared with January: new — peas, radish, cauliflower, Swiss chard, beet, tomato, bell pepper, eggplant and 6 more; no longer sown — broccoli.

Not starting in February: zucchini (April, started indoors) and green beans (May, sown direct) — dates for Hagerstown.

Ready to harvest in February in Hagerstown, if sown in the right month: broad bean (November), cabbage (October) and broccoli (November).

How we work it out

For each city we use its average weather in February and the months after (highs, lows and rain for 2016–2025, ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo) and its average frost dates. A crop starts in February if the month's mean temperature reaches the minimum soil temperature for germination on its card (we use the mean air temperature as a stand-in for the soil's) and if, over its first months (up to three), the average highs stay within its group's range, with no frost for crops that cannot take it. Crops started indoors count from the month they are planted out.

Temperature groups from Colorado State University Extension: cool-season crops prefer 60–80 °F and lose quality in heat; hardy ones grow in days as cool as 40 °F, semi-hardy ones from 40–50 °F (we use 50 °F); warm-season crops need days above 55 °F, and the most tender (tomato, pepper, eggplant, melon, watermelon, squash) above 60 °F, up to 95 °F. Crops the guide does not name go into the stricter group by their frost hardiness. Fava (broad) beans, which the guide does not name, count as hardy: hardy varieties are sown in fall and overwinter (RHS). Garlic and bulbs: a month before the first frost, and later only while the ground is not frozen (as on each city's page).

This is a general rule from averages: your garden can be a week or two earlier or later, and a greenhouse or a cold frame brings the season forward. Greenly works out the dates for your location.