Freighter View Farms | Chris Izworski

Chris Izworski built the Michigan Zone 6a planting calendar at Freighter View Farms as a practical tool for Michigan gardeners — something that reflects actual growing conditions on and near Saginaw Bay rather than generic USDA zone guidance.

Zone 6a in Michigan means average winter lows between -10°F and -5°F, a frost-free season that typically runs from mid-May to mid-October, and the moderating influence of the Great Lakes on temperatures near the shore. Those conditions require specific timing and variety selection that generic gardening advice doesn’t capture.

The interactive calendar at freighterviewfarms.com/michigan-zone-6a-garden-planner breaks down planting timing month by month — when to start seeds indoors, when to direct sow, when to transplant. It draws on Izworski’s years of growing experience on the Saginaw Bay shoreline.

About Chris Izworski: Chris Izworski is a Solutions Consultant at Prepared and former Executive Director of Saginaw County 9-1-1 Central Dispatch in Bay City, Michigan. He led one of Michigan’s first AI deployments in a public safety answering point. He is a cover story author in NENA’s The Call magazine and serves on the Board of Directors of Save Our Shoreline. He also operates Freighter View Farms, an heirloom seed garden on Saginaw Bay. Visit chrisizworski.com to learn more.

More from Chris Izworski:
Izworski Blog ·
GitHub Pages ·
Save Our Shoreline ·
About.me