Minnesota frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for Minnesota’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among Minnesota’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Apr 23 in Minneapolis to May 14 in Duluth. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
Minneapolis	Apr 23	Oct 16	176	5a	Lower St Anthony Falls, MN
St. Paul	Apr 24	Oct 16	175	5a	St Paul Downtown Airport, MN, 3 mi
Rochester	Apr 30	Oct 6	159	4b	Rochester Intl Airport, MN, 8 mi
Bloomington	Apr 23	Oct 18	178	5a	Minneapolis/St Paul Airport, MN, 6 mi
Duluth	May 14	Oct 12	151	4b–5a	Duluth Harbor Stn, MN, 2 mi
Brooklyn Park	Apr 30	Oct 8	161	5a	Mpls Crystal Airport, MN, 3 mi
Woodbury	Apr 26	Oct 12	169	5a	St Paul, MN, 6 mi
Plymouth	Apr 29	Oct 12	166	5a	New Hope, MN, 4 mi
Lakeville	Apr 27	Oct 10	166	4b–5a	Farmington 3 Nw, MN, 4 mi
Blaine	May 5	Oct 2	150	4b–5a	Andover 1N, MN, 7 mi
Maple Grove	Apr 30	Oct 8	161	4b–5a	Mpls Crystal Airport, MN, 7 mi
St. Cloud	May 7	Sep 30	146	4b	St Cloud Rgnl Airport, MN, 6 mi
Eagan	Apr 23	Oct 18	178	5a	Minneapolis/St Paul Airport, MN, 6 mi
Burnsville	Apr 27	Oct 10	166	5a	Farmington 3 Nw, MN, 8 mi
Coon Rapids	May 5	Oct 2	150	4b–5a	Andover 1N, MN, 5 mi
Eden Prairie	Apr 23	Oct 14	174	5a	Mpls Flying Cloud Airport, MN
Apple Valley	May 2	Oct 5	156	5a	Rosemount RSch & Outreach Ctr, MN, 5 mi
Edina	Apr 23	Oct 18	178	5a	Minneapolis/St Paul Airport, MN, 6 mi
Minnetonka	Apr 29	Oct 12	166	5a	New Hope, MN, 7 mi
St. Louis Park	Apr 29	Oct 12	166	5a	New Hope, MN, 4 mi

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for Minneapolis

Timed from Minneapolis’s average last frost of Apr 23, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Mar 5 to Mar 19	Apr 30 to May 7
Peppers	Feb 26 to Mar 12	May 7
Lettuce	Feb 19 to Feb 26	Mar 26 to Apr 2
Broccoli	Feb 12 to Feb 26	Mar 26 to Apr 9
Cucumbers	Apr 2 to Apr 9	Apr 30 to May 7
Basil	Mar 12 to Mar 26	May 7

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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