When to Plant by Spring Frost Date

Posted on February 24th, 2008 by emilyrhp

The “last frost date” is the date that, on average, is the latest you will have frost in your area. After this date it is generally safe to transplant frost-sensitive plants and seeds.

To determine your frost date:

Click here.
Under “Select a State(PDF)”, click on your state. This will bring up a list of locations and frost dates.
Search for a location near you, preferably one at a similar elevation, with similar weather conditions.
The MIDDLE date is the best (middle column, middle row).

If your frost date is between March 15 and June 15, click here for a planting schedule (done by color group). Otherwise, use this chart to determine when to plant:

13 weeks before the spring frost date

12 weeks before the spring frost date

11 weeks before the spring frost date

10 weeks before the spring frost date

9 weeks before the spring frost date

8 weeks before the spring frost date

7 weeks before the spring frost date

6 weeks before the spring frost date

5 weeks before the spring frost date

4 weeks before the spring frost date

3 weeks before the spring frost date

2 weeks before the spring frost date