How I Plan Out My Zone 3 Veggie Garden

If you’re a gardener in a Zone 2-4 or even colder, the earlier you start planning the better. Truly! For us cold weather gardeners who need to start seeds indoors, amend our soil, plan around our last frost dates, etc…it’s never too early to start planning. The list goes on and on, and there’s a lot to think about!

This article is here to eliminate some of the stresses and worries that may come with planting a garden in Zone 3.

As well as some of the mistakes you can avoid (because I’ve already made them for you!). I’m sharing with you how I plan out my zone 3 veggie garden in a short growing season of only 120-160 days.

For my beginner gardeners, you’ll also love this episode of The Grow Guide Podcast – Top 10 Tips For Rookie Veggie Growers.

*Disclaimer*

This post may contain affiliate links to products for your convenience. From Soil to Soul gains a small commission from purchases made through those links, at no additional cost to you.

Making A Garden Workback Schedule From Your Last Frost Date

Planning my zone 3 garden starts when there’s still snow on the ground.

I start my veggie garden planning in December-January. I know, I know — it seems SO early.

But when you garden in a short growing season you need to have an action plan in place.

Being prepared will help you grow a bountiful food garden even in cold climates like Zone 2-4!

So first things first, if you don’t know what grow zone you’re located in, find out!

Canada is divided into 10 different grow zones, ranging from Zone 0 as the coldest up to a Zone 9 as the warmest. Within each zone there are also sub-zones classified as ‘a’ or ‘b’.

Canada’s Plant Hardiness Zones split geographic areas into mapped zones by their annual minimum temperature extreme.

For my American gardeners, check out the USDA Plant Hardiness Map.

Gardening In Zone 3b Manitoba

I personally garden in a Zone 3b in Manitoba located just North of Winnipeg.

Though we are only a 20-30 minute drive from the city, the micro-climate on our property is noticeably colder than what my fellow Winnipeg gardeners experience.

For example, the projected last frost date for our area is May 19.

However I always wait until the very last week of May to plant out my tender transplants as I usually still get a few more overnight frosts.

Which brings me to the next step of planning a zone 3 veggie garden…

Plan Your Garden With Your Last Frost Date In Mind

A frost date is the average date of the last light freeze in Spring or the first light freeze in Fall.

My favourite tool to use for finding your first and last frost dates is The Farmer’s Almanac Local Frost Date Finder.

Enter your postal code or zip code into the search bar and it will provide you average dates.

Note that these frost dates aren’t 100% accurate, as I mentioned above, but they are a good starting guide.

More importantly though, understand the micro-climate that exists within your own garden.

Now that you know your last frost date for the Spring, it’s time to build your workback schedule.

The former Project Manager in me loves a good workback schedule! A workback schedule is a tool used to map out each stage of a project (or the garden in this case!).

You work in reverse from the date when you will plant out your garden. This date is also your last frost date.

How To Organize Your Garden Workback Schedule For Zone 3

• Use a digital or paper spreadsheet.
• Organize each column as the months until your last frost date. Organize the rows as each week.
• Looking at the days to maturity on the back of each seed pack, plug into your workback schedule when each veggie needs to be started indoors or planted outside.
• Then add in other key dates too.
• Example: add when plants will need to be transplanted outdoors and/or hardened off.

Here’s an example of my zone 3 garden planner workback schedule. Note — this is very specific to my micro-climate and what I like to grow, so be sure to customize yours to your garden’s exact needs.

What To Consider When Planning What To Grow In Your Zone 3 Veggie Garden

It’s so important to know your why when you’re growing a garden.

This is where I suggest you start when deciding what to plant in your garden.

Maybe your goal is to save money on groceries. If so, plan to grow vegetables that will give you the return on investment.

These are crops like peas, beans, potatoes and carrots.

Or, maybe your goal is to spend more time outside.

If so, grow foods that will bring you joy and make you want to get outside each day.

Things like aromatic herbs, edible flowers and unusual veggies are great options that will keep you tending to the garden for hours.

My main garden goal is always to grow food that can feed my household for most of the Summer and Fall.

My other gardening goal is to always push the envelope in terms of what I can grow in a Zone 3 garden.

This includes unique foods like ginger and turmeric, chickpeas, sweet potatoes and more.

Once you’ve narrowed down your why, move on to consider what type of garden will fit with your lifestyle.

Answer this list of questions to narrow down what you should grow…and what you shouldn’t!

• How much time do I have to dedicate to my garden each day?
• What did I eat most of that I planted last season? What didn’t I eat?
• What veggies did best in my garden? And vice versa.
• How long (how many weeks) do I want to be harvesting from my garden?
• What challenges did I have last season — ie: pests, weather, soil health, etc..?

Every year, my garden changes and evolves.

This is one of the wonderful parts about gardening, it’s never the same.

I fall in love with new plants and ditch the vegetables that we either didn’t eat or didn’t like.

All this to say, plan your garden around your needs.

Not only will it provide you what you need, but you’ll enjoy the gardening process that much more.

What Veggies Work Best In A Zone 3 Garden (And A Few That Don’t!)

There’s hundreds (if not thousands) of vegetables you can grow in Zone 3.

It’s not so much about what you can/can’t grow, but strategically planning out how early each vegetable needs to be started.

For example, chickpeas aren’t necessarily a crop that is well suited to my garden as they require 120+ days to grow.

However, if I start them indoors in February under grow lights, I can provide them the days to maturity required and harvest come August.

Once you’ve nailed down the timing of starting each seed indoors, the other aspect is ensuring you’re transplanting your seedlings outside at the right date.

Now, the best veggies to grow in a Zone 3 garden.

20 Of The Easiest Vegetables To Grow In A Zone 3 Garden

1. Swiss Chard
2. Kale
3. Lettuces
4. Spinach
5. Carrots
6. Radishes
7. Tomatoes
8. Cucumbers
9. Potatoes
10. Zucchini/Summer Squash
11. Beans
12. Peas
13. Beets
14. Basil
15. Cilantro
16. Dill
17. Chives
18. Corn
19. Onions
20. Asian Greens

10 Of The Hardest Vegetables To Grow In A Zone 3 Garden

1. Artichokes
2. Eggplants
3. Broccoli
4. Cauliflower
5. Rutabaga
6. Celery
7. Sweet Potato
8. Parsnips
9. Winter Squash
10. Leeks

And that’s my guide to zone 3 vegetable gardening and planning!

I hope these gardening tips for Zone 3 gardening were helpful for you.

If you’re planting a garden this season, be sure to connect with me on Instagram to see more behind-the-scenes.

Happy planning!