How To Grow

How to find your last frost date (and what your zone means)

For vegetables, your last frost date matters more than your zone. Here's how to find both and what each tells you.

Reviewed October 2026

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Your last frost date

Your average last spring frost date is the date after which the chance of a freeze drops below 50 percent. It is the anchor for almost every vegetable planting date, which is why the planting calendar asks for it.

The quickest way: enter your ZIP code in our planting calendar. It looks up your date from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the nearest weather station.

By state: see frost dates by state for the average last spring and first fall frost in the largest cities of every state.

Other ways to find it:

  • Your county Cooperative Extension office. Every U.S. county has one, run by the state's land-grant university, and most publish local planting calendars. Search for your county name plus "extension planting calendar".
  • NOAA's climate normals. NOAA publishes average last-freeze dates from its 1991–2020 climate normals. Climate.gov's interactive map of these dates was archived in June 2025, and NOAA now points visitors to noaa.gov/climate for current climate information.

An average is not a guarantee. By definition, there's still a real chance of frost after the average date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tender crops like tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy for a late cold night.

Your hardiness zone

USDA plant hardiness zones are based on the average coldest winter temperature at a location, measured over 30 years. Each zone covers a 10°F band, split into 5°F half zones such as 7a and 7b. USDA released an updated map in November 2023, so some places moved to a warmer half zone.

Zones tell you which perennial plants, such as shrubs, trees and perennial flowers, are likely to survive your winters. They don't tell you when to plant vegetables, because two places in the same zone can have very different frost dates. Our planting calendar shows your zone when you enter your ZIP code, or you can look it up on USDA's interactive map at planthardiness.ars.usda.gov.

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