About Sprout Authority

Sprout Authority exists to answer one question precisely: what should you plant, and when, where you actually live. Most gardening sites hand you a range that spans the whole country. We start from your ZIP code, your USDA hardiness zone, and your nearest weather station's frost dates, and give you the specific windows that follow.

How the data is built

Hardiness zones come from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. Planting windows for every crop trace to named university extension publications, recorded with the source on each plant page. We never hand-type a number into prose; the data lives in one structured store and renders everywhere.

On gear

Our buying guides are reader-supported through affiliate links, at no extra cost to you. Picks are chosen on research, never on commission, and our scoring method is public. We research and cross-check owner reviews and manufacturer specs; we do not claim hands-on field testing we have not done.

Written and maintained by Joel Kelly.