When to plant bay in Queens

Why these dates

Plant out after the last frost. In containers it needs winter shelter in cold regions - not heat, just protection from freezing wind, which scorches the foliage badly.

Established plants take around -10C. Young plants and container specimens are considerably more tender, and cold drying wind does more visible damage than still cold at the same temperature.

Bay are planted once and then left in place, so there is no sowing offset to resolve. Nor is there a dormant season to plant into: this crop keeps its leaves and keeps growing through the winter, which is exactly why cold damages it. The window on this page therefore waits until the last frost in Queens has passed and the soil has begun to warm, giving the roots the longest possible run before the cold returns.

Hardiness is not the obstacle here. Queens is zone 8a, comfortably inside the range this crop is rated for, so an established plant should come through an average winter without protection.

Do not expect a crop in the first year. A plant set out now should give its first worthwhile pick around year 2, and will then produce every year after that, which is what makes the planting decision worth getting right the first time.

See every crop timed for Queens →