Frost and Planting Calendar

Your last and first frost from the 30-year record at your nearest station, then sow, transplant, and harvest windows for 32 crops, fitted to the season you actually get.

Your place

Last spring frost–

First fall frost–

Frost-free season–

Planning a vegetable bed? Lay it out square by square and get every plant's sow, transplant, and harvest dates for your place in the freeGarden Planner.

Frost risk this week: Check the live forecast, radar, and frost watch for your place on the Weather page.

Lettuce varieties, from a seed catalogue. Philadelphia, 1894.

Your crop windows

Generic offsets shown. Set your place for dated windows.

Crop	Start indoors	Transplant	Direct sow	Days to maturity	Note
Loading crop library...

Offsets follow standard horticultural practice; sources on the methodology page. Frost dates are 30-year means: half of years frost later. Harden off transplants and watch the forecast.

Frost dates for major cities

City		Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free days
New York	NY	March 26	November 25	244
Los Angeles	CA	January 9	January 5	365
Chicago	IL	April 11	October 31	201
Houston	TX	January 30	December 28	330
Phoenix	AZ	January 8	December 25	354
Philadelphia	PA	April 2	November 10	224
San Antonio	TX	February 26	November 28	277
San Diego	CA	January 6	December 31	365
Dallas	TX	March 8	November 24	262
Austin	TX	February 20	December 3	291
Miami	FL	January 20	January 17	365
Tampa	FL	January 20	January 12	365
Atlanta	GA	March 25	November 9	228
Seattle	WA	March 13	November 17	247
Denver	CO	May 3	October 14	161
Boston	MA	April 4	November 9	218
Las Vegas	NV	January 24	December 10	323
Portland	OR	March 29	November 9	223
Minneapolis	MN	April 30	October 8	159
Detroit	MI	April 30	October 24	174
Nashville	TN	March 31	November 3	217
Charlotte	NC	March 30	November 3	221
Honolulu	HI	April 12	December 1	235
Anchorage	AK	May 1	September 29	150

Field notes

The dates above are the 30-year average. This is the frost season people nearby are actually having. Add what you are seeing, read what your neighbours saw.

Set your place above to read and add notes for your town.

Your free 2026 Home Almanac

Your whole home year for your town on one page you can print and keep: frost dates, planting windows, and each month's jobs. Every Friday, get the week for your town by email. No account, no ads or sponsors, one tap to stop.

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Questions, answered plainly

What is a frost date?

The mean date of the last spring frost and first fall frost at a weather station, averaged over a 30-year climate normal period. It is a planning average, not a guarantee: roughly half of years see frost after the mean spring date, so tender crops usually go out a week or more later.

When can I plant tomatoes?

Start seeds indoors about six weeks before your last frost date and transplant a week or two after it, once nights hold above 50F. In Atlanta that means indoor starts in February and transplanting in April; in Minneapolis or Denver, indoor starts in late March and transplanting in late May. Set your place above for your exact dates.

Should I use USDA hardiness zones or frost dates?

Both, for different jobs. USDA hardiness zones tell you which perennials, shrubs, and trees survive your winters. Frost dates tell you when to sow and transplant annual vegetables and flowers. A planting calendar runs on frost dates and season length, which is what this tool computes.

My frost-free season is short. What still works?

Plenty. Peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, beets, and carrots tolerate frost on one or both ends of the season. For warm crops in an 80 to 110 day season, choose short-maturity varieties, start indoors, and use transplants. The table flags crops whose typical maturity exceeds your frost-free window.

Frost and planting dates by city

Every page computed from that city's own nearest-station record. All cities.