Indiana Planting Zones by City and ZIP Code
Indiana runs from zones 5b to 7a; 61% of its ZIPs are 6a, Indianapolis is 6b and Fort Wayne is 6a.
Indiana runs from zones 5b to 7a
The coldest night of the winter averages -15°F to -10°F in the coldest of Indiana’s ZIP codes and 0°F to 5°F in the warmest. Most of the state is zone 6a.
Planting zones of Indiana cities
| City | Zone | Coldest night, on average | Since 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis46204 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6a) |
| Fort Wayne46802 | 6a | -10°F to -5°F | same as 2012 |
| Evansville47708 | 7a | 0°F to 5°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6b) |
| South Bend46601 | 6a | -10°F to -5°F | same as 2012 |
| Bloomington47404 | 6b | -5°F to 0°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (6a) |
| Gary46402 | 6a | -10°F to -5°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (5b) |
Tap a ZIP for that address’s frost dates and this month’s jobs.
Find your zone anywhere in Indiana
A ZIP code or a town gives you its zone, how it moved since 2012, the frost dates at the nearest NOAA station, and the jobs for this month timed from them.
What to plant in Indiana this month
The calendar for each of Indiana's main zones, from vegetables to pruning and winter protection, each job tied to the extension page it comes from. Pick a month, or read the whole year below it.
Timed from the median frost dates of the 68 NOAA stations in Indiana’s zone 6a: last spring frost Apr 23, first fall frost Oct 20. Your own ZIP’s frost dates move every window, so the ZIP tool times them for you.
Pick a month above to see every job in it.
The year at a glance
- Start vegetable seeds indoorsJan to Apr
- Sow vegetables in the gardenMar to Apr
- Sow the fall vegetable gardenJul to Aug
- Set out transplantsMar to May
- Plant trees and shrubsMar 12 to May 7 and Oct 6 to Nov 24
- Plant garlicOct 6 to Nov 10
- Plant tulips and other spring bulbsOct 27 to Nov 3
- Divide fall-blooming perennialsApr 2 to May 14
- Divide spring and summer-blooming perennialsSep 8 to Oct 20
- Prune trees and summer-flowering shrubs while dormantFeb 12 to Mar 26
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they bloomApr 9 to Jun 4
- Water evergreens and new plantings until the ground freezesSep 22 to Dec 1
- Mulch perennial crowns once the ground freezesDec 1 to Dec 15
- Pull back the winter mulchMar 5 to Mar 19
- Put hardware cloth around young tree trunksOct 20 to Dec 1
- Dig and store dahlia and gladiolusOct 20 to Oct 27
- Cut back perennials after a hard freezeOct 27 to Nov 24
What changed in Indiana since 2012
Every ZIP on both mapsCompared ZIP by ZIP from the 2023 and 2012 USDA tables; 928 Indiana ZIP codes appear in both.
Why Indiana’s zones moved
Of the cities above, Indianapolis went from 6a to 6b, Evansville went from 6b to 7a, Bloomington went from 6a to 6b and Gary went from 5b to 6a.
The USDA explains the national picture: “When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.” The new map uses 1991 to 2020 and more than 13,000 weather stations, so it draws Indiana’s hills, valleys and cities more finely than the 2012 map did.
A warmer zone changes which perennials and shrubs come through the winter, not when the garden gets planted; that still follows the frost dates.
Frost dates and seed starting in Indiana
Indiana planting zone questions
Planting zones by state
Sources. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP code tables (2023 and 2012), PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA Agricultural Research Service, November 15, 2023); NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal, by station (v1.0.1); NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Zones are read from the PRISM ZIP code tables, read Oct 9, 2026; a ZIP code’s zone is the zone at its center. The calendar’s extension sources are listed on the planting zones page and under each job.