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These month-by-month tips will remind you of the most appropriate time for chores, and the information provided will be useful for both beginners and experienced gardeners. You can check this month's tips and ones from previous months.

The month-by-month gardening tips below apply only to the Southeastern New York region—USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 6a and 6b, which include New York City, Northern New Jersey, Rockland County, Westchester County, Southern Connecticut, and parts of Long Island. Plant hardiness zones refer to geographic areas where the growing season of plants is determined by the time of killing frosts in the spring and fall. If you live in a more southerly plant hardiness zone, you can start gardening earlier in the season. In more northerly zones, you need to start later. Even within zones, climatic factors such as altitude, proximity to water, wind exposure, winter sun exposure, and snow cover contribute to the existence of different "microclimates" and can influence plant adaptability.