What Is a Frost Date?

“A frost date is the average date of the last light freeze in spring or the first light freeze in fall.

“The classification of freeze temperatures is based on their effect on plants:

• Light freeze: 29° to 32°F (-1.7° to 0°C)—tender plants are killed.
• Moderate freeze: 25° to 28°F (-3.9° to -2.2°C)—widely destructive to most vegetation.
• Severe freeze: 24°F (-4.4°C) and colder—heavy damage to most garden plants.

“Note that frost dates are only an estimate based on historical climate data and are not set in stone. The probability of a frost occurring after the spring frost date or before the fall frost date is 30%, which means that there is still a chance of frost occurring before or after the given dates!” farmersalmaac

How to Find Your Frost Date

To find the frost dates for your area, go to Farmer’s Almanac at the following address:

https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates 

When you see the following window, enter your zip code: [This image will not work. It is merely for reference. You must go to the Farmer’s Almanac to find your frost date:

I currently live in North Mississippi, and Mississippi is in the South. Yet, not all of Mississippi is in the same gardening zone. Farmer’s Almanac uses your zipcode to determine your frost date, as well as your gardening zone. My current gardening location is closer to Memphis, TN, than it is to Biloxi, MS, which is over 300 miles south of where I currently live:

In Water Valley, MS, my last frost date is about April 7, and my first fall frost will occur about October 30.

In Water Valley, MS, my growing season should be about 205 days,  but during 2024, my garden had no frost until almost December.

The last frost date in Biloxi, MS, is projected to be February 26–compare that to the last frost date in Water Valley, which is April 7. While Water Valley’s growing season is 205 days long, Biloxi’s growing season is 278 days.

But an area’s position in regards to north versus south is not the only consideration in figuring frost dates. I lived near Margate, NJ for about 18 years.

Margate is over 1,000 miles from my current home, and it is also north of me, but the ocean’s temperature moderates the weather there. Margate, NJ, has a longer growing season than Water Valley, MS.