Short Season Grower is an independent gardening guide for people who garden where summers are short and winters are long: the Canadian provinces, the northern United States, and anywhere the frost-free season is measured in weeks rather than months.
Most gardening advice online is written for long, warm summers. Planting dates, variety picks and “easy” crops that work in Georgia or southern England often fail in Edmonton, Winnipeg or northern Minnesota. This site exists to close that gap.
What you will find here
- Vegetables: what to grow, when to plant it, and which varieties actually ripen before the first fall frost.
- Season extension: starting seeds indoors, cold frames, row covers and small greenhouses.
- Hardy plants: perennials, fruit trees and shrubs that survive zone 2 to 4 winters.
- Fall and winter prep: garlic, mulching and getting beds ready for snow.
- Planting by region: frost dates and planting calendars for provinces and northern states.
How we write our guides
Our guides are based on research from extension services, provincial and state agriculture departments, seed companies and climate data. We cite where numbers come from, and we update articles when guidance changes. Frost dates and hardiness zones are averages: your own garden may run a little earlier or later, so treat every date here as a starting point and watch your local forecast.
How this site is funded
Short Season Grower is free to read. It is supported by display advertising and by affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you buy something through a link on this site, at no extra cost to you. You can read the details in our Affiliate Disclosure.
Questions or corrections? Use our contact page. We read every message.