USDA Hardiness Zone
Last Spring Frost
Average — 50% of years
First Fall Frost
Average — 50% of years
Growing Season
Frost-free days
Your planting calendar
When to start, transplant, and sow each vegetable — timed to your frost dates.
| Vegetable | What to do & when |
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Planting dates are computed as standard week-offsets from your average frost dates. Advisory — adjust for your microclimate, the current season, and each variety's days-to-maturity.
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Recommended seed & supply partners (affiliate links):
Buy seeds for your zone → Printable garden planner → Raised-bed starter kits →Need the whole dataset?
Building an app, a store locator, or a bulk mail campaign? Get the US Frost Dates & Planting Zones Dataset — every US ZIP with its USDA hardiness zone, average frost dates (28°F / 32°F / 36°F), and growing-season length, as clean CSV + JSON. Sourced from USDA and NOAA public data, with an honest coverage map.
Get the dataset →Or wire it into your own product with the free Frost Dates API.
Frost reminders in your inbox
One email in early spring and one in late summer — a nudge before your frost dates, with what to plant. No spam.
Popular lookups
Frost dates & planting — quick answers
What is a "last frost date"?
It's the average date of the last spring night that drops to 32°F (freezing) at your nearest weather station, based on NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals. On the date shown, there's a 50% chance the last frost has already passed — so roughly half of years still see a frost after it. Wait 1–2 weeks past it before setting out tender crops like tomatoes if you want to play it safe.
What is a USDA plant hardiness zone?
The USDA zone is based on the average annual coldest temperature at your location. It tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees can survive your winter. This tool uses the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.
What's the difference between 28°F, 32°F, and 36°F frost?
32°F is a "light freeze" that kills tender plants. 28°F is a "hard freeze" that damages most vegetation. 36°F can bring a patchy "light frost" in low spots even when the official temperature stays above freezing. The dataset behind this tool includes all three thresholds.
How accurate is this for my exact yard?
Frost dates come from the nearest NOAA station with published freeze normals; we show that station and its distance, plus an honest confidence label. Your own yard can differ by a week or more — low-lying spots frost earlier, and cities and south-facing slopes stay warmer. Treat these as a reliable starting point, not a guarantee.
Where this data comes from
All public-domain government data — no proprietary garden sources:
- Hardiness zones: 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listing published by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University.
- Frost dates & growing season: NOAA/NCEI 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (annual/seasonal freeze/frost normals).
- ZIP locations: U.S. Census geocoder & 2023 ZCTA Gazetteer centroids.