When to plant lettuce in zone 5a

Transplant outdoors around Apr 19. That is 2 weeks before zone 5a's median last frost, May 31. Across most of zone 5a that date falls between Apr 12 and May 6.

Why a range: zone 5a is defined by winter lows, not frost dates. Its ZIP codes have median last frosts from Apr 26 to May 202, so a single zone date can be weeks off for you. The rule comes from Oregon State University Extension Service.

Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Stations: 655
ZIP codes: 2,089

Photo: Zoran Milosavljevic / Pexels

These dates use the typical last frost for the whole zone. Your ZIP code gives a closer answer.

Start indoorsOregon State, central ORStart indoors across most of the zone: Mar 8 to Apr 1Start indoors at the zone median: Mar 15 (Oregon State, central OR)
Transplant outdoorsOregon State, central ORTransplant outdoors across most of the zone: Apr 12 to May 6Transplant outdoors at the zone median: Apr 19 (Oregon State, central OR)
Sow outdoorsColorado StateSow outdoors across most of the zone: Mar 29 to May 6Sow outdoors at the zone median: Apr 5 to Apr 19 (Colorado State)

Start indoors
Plant outdoors
Range across the zone
Frost-free season (median)
Spring frost risk (90% to 10%)
Fall frost risk (10% to 90%)

Figure 1. Lettuce in zone 5a. Dark bars: at the zone's median frost dates. Pale bars: across most of the zone's ZIP codes. Hatched blue: where the zone's last and first frosts fall.

Start seeds indoors: Mar 157 weeks before last frost (Oregon State, central OR)
Transplant outdoors: Apr 19range Apr 12 – May 6

What each source says, applied to zone 5a

The same frost dates give different answers depending on whose rule you follow. These are all the published rules we hold for lettuce, worked out at zone 5a's median frost dates.

Table 1. Lettuce rules from every source, at zone 5a's median last frost (May 3) and first frost (Oct 5).
Source	What	Rule	Zone 5a median
Colorado State3Used above	Sow outdoors	2-4 weeks before last frost	Apr 5 – Apr 19
Utah State4	Sow outdoors	2 weeks before last frost	Apr 19
Oregon State, central OR1Used above	Transplant outdoors	2 weeks before last frost	Apr 19
Oregon State, central OR1Used above	Start indoors	7 weeks before last frost	Mar 15
Texas A&M (E-502)5	Sow outdoors	From 6 wk before to 2 wk after last frost	Mar 22 – May 17
Texas A&M (E-502)5	Plant for fall	10-14 weeks before first frost	Jun 29 – Jul 27

Frost across zone 5a

Last spring frostmedian May 3Full range across the zone: Apr 13 to Jun 20Most of the zone (10th to 90th percentile): Apr 26 to May 20Zone median: May 3
First fall frostmedian Oct 5Full range across the zone: Sep 1 to Oct 28Most of the zone (10th to 90th percentile): Sep 26 to Oct 13Zone median: Oct 5

Frost-free season (median)

Figure 2. Frost dates across zone 5a, from 655 NOAA stations matched to 2,089 ZIP codes.

Planting lettuce with others

Cilantro Extension guidance Cilantro flowers attract aphid-eating beneficial insects (lacewings, lady beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders, syrphid flies) that reduce aphids on lettuce.6
Dill Extension guidance Dill flowers attract aphid-eating beneficial insects (lacewings, lady beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders, syrphid flies) that reduce aphids on lettuce.6
Fennel Extension guidance Fennel flowers attract aphid-eating beneficial insects (lacewings, lady beetles, parasitic wasps, spiders, syrphid flies) that reduce aphids on lettuce.6
Carrots Extension guidance Deep-taprooted carrots paired with shallow, wide-rooted lettuce use different soil layers, so their roots compete less.7 8 8

Sources

Oregon State University Extension Service, When to start seeds indoors in central Oregon, reviewed 2024. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), 2021. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Colorado State University Extension, Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720), reviewed September 2024. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Utah State University Extension, Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah, January 2018; revised May 2025. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Texas AgriLife Extension Service, The Texas A&M System, Texas Home Vegetable Gardening Guide (E-502), 2/09. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Penn State Extension, Herbs Make Good Plant Partners and Companions, Updated April 22, 2026. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
Washington State University Extension, Gardening with Companion Plants (Home Garden Series), EM128E, December 2023. Retrieved 2026-11-02.
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCCE Master Gardener Program), Companion Planting Chart: Companion planting in the vegetable garden, File dated 2023-09 in URL path; no date printed. Retrieved 2026-11-02.