When to plant potatoes in zone 7b

Sow outdoors between Mar 22 and Apr 5. That is from 2 wk before to on the zone 7b's median last frost, Apr 51. Across most of zone 7b that date falls between Mar 16 and Apr 17.

Why a range: zone 7b is defined by winter lows, not frost dates. Its ZIP codes have median last frosts from Mar 30 to Apr 172, so a single zone date can be weeks off for you. The rule comes from Colorado State University Extension, written for CO and applied here to zone 7b's frost dates.

Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Stations: 639
ZIP codes: 2,958

Photo: Pixabay / Pexels

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

Sow outdoorsColorado StateSow outdoors across most of the zone: Mar 16 to Apr 17Sow outdoors at the zone median: Mar 22 to Apr 5 (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. Potatoes in zone 7b. 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.

Sow outdoors: Mar 22range Mar 16 – Apr 17
First harvest, roughly: Jul 25125 days from planting1

What each source says, applied to zone 7b

The same frost dates give different answers depending on whose rule you follow. These are all the published rules we hold for potatoes, worked out at zone 7b's median frost dates.

Table 1. Potatoes rules from every source, at zone 7b's median last frost (Apr 5) and first frost (Nov 1).
Source	What	Rule	Zone 7b median
Colorado State1Used above	Sow outdoors	From 2 wk before to on the last frost	Mar 22 – Apr 5
Utah State3	Sow outdoors	2 weeks before last frost	Mar 22
Texas A&M (E-502)4	Sow outdoors	4-6 weeks before last frost	Feb 23 – Mar 8
Texas A&M (E-502)4	Plant for fall	14-16 weeks before first frost	Jul 12 – Jul 26

Frost across zone 7b

Last spring frostmedian Apr 5Full range across the zone: Mar 21 to Jun 3Most of the zone (10th to 90th percentile): Mar 30 to Apr 17Zone median: Apr 5
First fall frostmedian Nov 1Full range across the zone: Sep 14 to Nov 26Most of the zone (10th to 90th percentile): Oct 24 to Nov 14Zone median: Nov 1

Frost-free season (median)

Figure 2. Frost dates across zone 7b, from 639 NOAA stations matched to 2,958 ZIP codes.

Planting potatoes with others

Tomatoes Extension guidance Shared late blight: the pathogen overwinters mainly on infected potato tubers and spreads by wind to nearby tomatoes.5 5 6 6

Sources

Colorado State University Extension, Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720), reviewed September 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.
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.
Washington State University Extension (HortSense), Tomato: Late blight (HortSense fact sheet), reviewed Last review date: 2026-08-28. 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.