What to plant this week in Scranton, PA
Scranton gardeners are in the final sprint before the first frost on October 24, so your immediate priority is harvesting heat-loving crops like zucchini, bush beans, and melons while they are still sweet. With hard frosts arriving just three weeks away, you must get all remaining transplants and late-sowables protected or moved indoors immediately to salvage this season's yield.
The next 7 days
Scranton, PAGrowing in Scranton right now
- Take advantage of Scranton's short growing window by finishing all summer squash, cucumbers, and beans within the next few days before soil temperatures drop too low for continued maturation.
- Protect your hardy perennials like garlic and leeks from the upcoming cold snap with heavy mulching, as late frosts can still damage emerging shoots in our Valley microclimate.
- If you missed planting winter squash earlier this season, cut them back to size now and cure them indoors rather than leaving them exposed to early October rains common here.
- Use the remaining light frost-free days to pull up ornamental vines like bottle gourds and sweet potato vines before they rot in our often damp fall soils.
Sow this week
No direct sowing windows open this week.
Transplant this week
Nothing is due to go out this week.
Harvest soon
45 crops- Basil
- Borage
- Bush Bean
- Cantaloupe
- Celery
- Cleome (Spider Flower)
- Cosmos
- Cowpea (Black-Eyed Pea)
- Cucumber
- Dahlia
- Edamame
- Fennel
- Flour Corn
- French Marigold
- Garden Verbena
- Garlic
- Ghost Pepper (Bhut Jolokia)
- Gourd (Ornamental/Bottle)
- Honeydew Melon
- Leek
- Lima Bean
- Lisianthus (Prairie Gentian)
- Loofah (Luffa)
- Malabar Spinach
- Nasturtium
- Okra
- Ornamental Sweet Potato Vine
- Parsnip
- Pole Bean
- Potato
- Pumpkin
- Roselle (Cranberry Hibiscus)
- Scarlet Runner Bean
- Shiso (Japanese Basil)
- Summer Savory
- Sunflower
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet Potato
- Thai Basil
- Vinca (Madagascar Periwinkle)
- Watermelon
- Winter Squash
- Yellow Summer Squash
- Zinnia
- Zucchini
Seasonal tips
- Keep a close eye on pollinator-friendly flowers like Cosmos and Zinnia to ensure good seed set.
- Harvest bush beans and cucumbers frequently to encourage continued production throughout summer.
- Protect young transplants from late spring chill with row covers if an unexpected cold snap occurs.
- Plan succession sowing for cool-season crops now so they are ready as the weather cools in October.
Pest & disease watch
- Watch for squash vine borers attacking your zucchini and pumpkins as plants senesce, cutting stems at soil level to prevent spread.
- Monitor cucumber beetles which can still infest late-planted cucumbers and melons during this warm spell before the final freeze.
- Check leeks and garlic for onion maggots or damping-off fungus in wet patches of your vegetable beds.
Watering this week
Water deeply in the morning to reduce evaporation and prevent fungal issues on leafy greens.
Save seeds from your best-performing varieties like French Marigold and Zinnia to start your next season's garden early.
Scranton gardening questions
3Can I still plant anything outdoors after this week?
No new transplants can be put out safely since the average last frost date is April 21 and we are approaching October 24, but you can sow cold-hardy seeds like parsnips or carrots now if they aren't too large.
How long do I have to harvest my watermelons in Scranton?
You need to pick your watermelons and honeydew melons immediately as the first frost on October 24 will ruin their internal sugar content and texture.
Is it safe to leave summer squash on the vine for storage?
Do not leave yellow summer squash or zucchini on the vine long-term; harvest them now while firm, then store cured winter squash like pumpkins in a cool, dry place instead.
Other cities in zone 6b
12See the full zone 6b guide → · Plan your Scranton garden in SproutGuide →