Last and first frost dates in Louisville

When is the last frost in Louisville?

The last frost in Louisville usually comes around 6 April: that is the median of 2016–2025, so in about half of those years the last night at or below 0 °C came later. Hardy crops start before it and frost-tender ones only after it: in the table below arugula can go into open ground from 16 March, while corn waits until 13 April. The first autumn frost follows around 11 November, about 219 days later: harvest or cover frost-tender crops before then.

When to sow and plant

Planting out: a week after the last frost once the soil is warm enough for the crop; frost-hardy crops three weeks before it; an unheated greenhouse three weeks earlier. Seedlings are sown so they are ready on that day. Each window starts on the Greenly calendar date and ends on the last day that still leaves the crop’s days to harvest (from its card) before the average first autumn frost, plus six weeks of picking for crops harvested over weeks (tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, watermelons, beans) — our rule; earlier in the window is safer.

What planting zone is Louisville?

The official USDA map (2023, 1991–2020 data) puts the centre of Louisville (ZIP 40203) in zone 7a. Zone 7a stands for an average coldest night of 0 to 5 °F (-17.8 to -15 °C), so perennials hardy to zone 7a or a colder zone should come through a typical winter here.

Check the official USDA map for Louisville: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

When the soil warms up in Louisville

The day the top 7 cm of soil first averages each temperature over a week, median of 2016–2025 (ERA5 via Open-Meteo). The soil reaches 10 °C 26 days before the last spring frost and 15 °C 10 days after it.

Frost dates near Louisville

Of the nearest cities on our list, the last spring frost ends earliest in Bowling Green (31 March) and latest in Frankfort (12 April).

Seeds, seedlings and markets in Louisville

Within 15 km of Louisville OpenStreetMap lists 1 garden centre, 1 farm-supply shop, 1 plant nursery and 7 markets (collected 20 October 2026). The nearest garden centre to the city centre is Grant Line Nursery & Garden Center, 9 km away.

• Grant Line Nursery & Garden Center — garden centre
  Grant Line Road 2223, 47150 New Albany · Mon–Sat 09:00–17:00; Sun closed · 9 km · grantlinegarden.com
• Jeffersonville Farmers' Market — market
  Jun–Oct Sat 09:00–12:00; Sun–Fri closed; Nov–May closed · 3 km · jeffmainstreet.org
• New Albany Farmers' Market — market
  East Market Street 202, 47150 New Albany · Sun–Fri closed; Apr–Sept Sat 08:00–12:00; Oct–Mar Sat 10:00–12:00 · 7 km · namainstreet.org
• The District - Artisan Market & Patio — market
  East 15th Street 845, 47150 New Albany · 7 km
• El Rey Market — market
  National Turnpike 7600, 40214 Louisville · Mon–Sun 08:00–22:00 · 12 km
• All Peddlers — market
  Preston Highway 7100, 40219 Louisville · 13 km

• Where to buy seeds and seedlings in Louisville
• Selling your own harvest in the United States

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Weather in Louisville by month

Average weather in Louisville over 2016–2025: the warmest month is July. Months that average 20 °C or more by day: May–October (21.3–31 °C). Months that average 30 °C or more by day: July (31 °C). Nights average below 0 °C in January (-2.4 °C) and February (-0.1 °C). About 1279 mm of rain falls in a year, on 131 days; April is the wettest month (138 mm) and November the driest (85 mm).

Average of the daily highs and lows, rain per month and days with at least 1 mm (ERA5 via Open-Meteo, the same grid cell as the frost dates).

Planted in autumn

From a month before the first autumn frost, so the roots grow before winter, to the late-planting limit on each crop’s page (about two weeks before the ground freezes, by ten years of weather).