When to plant catnip

Hardy · tolerates frost

Catnipis keyed to your local frost dates. The offsets below hold anywhere — but the calendar dates they land on don’t. Enter your ZIP for dates tuned to your city’s nearest NOAA station.

Catnip planting timeline

Start indoors

6–8 wks before

Transplant out

0–2 wks after

-9 wksLAST SPRING FROST+3 wks

Perennial: plant once and it comes back for years. Many types crop lightly the first season and reach full harvest by year two or three.

Hardy: tolerates frost and can go out a few weeks before the last spring frost.

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Catnip planting FAQ

When should I start catnip seeds indoors?

Start catnip indoors 6–8 weeks before the last spring frost, so seedlings are ready to plant out once the weather warms.

Can I direct sow catnip?

Catnip is usually started indoors and transplanted rather than direct sown, for a reliable stand.

Is catnip frost-hardy?

Hardy: tolerates frost and can go out a few weeks before the last spring frost.

Planting reminders

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An email when it’s time to start seeds, transplant, and sow — timed to your frost dates. Double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe, no spam.

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Planting windows are offsets from your local 1991–2020 NOAA frost normals. How we compute this.