Last and first frost dates in Pittsburgh

When is the last frost in Pittsburgh?

The last frost in Pittsburgh usually comes around 19 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 29 March, while corn waits until 26 April. The first autumn frost follows around 9 November, about 204 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 Pittsburgh?

The official USDA map (2023, 1991–2020 data) puts the centre of Pittsburgh (ZIP 15222) 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 Pittsburgh: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.

When the soil warms up in Pittsburgh

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 17 days before the last spring frost and 15 °C 18 days after it.

Frost dates near Pittsburgh

Of the nearest cities on our list, the last spring frost ends earliest in Hagerstown (4 April) and latest in Columbus (22 April).

Seeds, seedlings and markets in Pittsburgh

Within 15 km of Pittsburgh OpenStreetMap lists 11 garden centres, 4 plant nurseries, 23 markets and 4 farm shops (collected 20 October 2026). The nearest garden centre to the city centre is Urban Gardner, 3 km away.

• Urban Gardner — garden centre
  Brighton Road 1901, 15214 Pittsburgh · 3 km · urbangardenerpgh.com
• Sestili Nursery — plant nursery
  Swinburne Street 3721, 15213 · 4 km · sestilinursery.net
• Market Square;Market Square Farmers Market — market
  May–Sept Thu 10:00–14:00 · 0 km · downtownpittsburgh.com
• Homewood Farmers Market — farm shop
  Jun 11–Oct 29 Sat 10:00–14:00 · 9 km
• The Urban Jungle of Regent Square — garden centre
  South Braddock Avenue 1119 · Tue–Fri 11:00–18:00; Sat 10:00–17:00; Sun 11:00–16:00; Mon closed · 9 km
• Tree Pittsburgh — plant nursery
  62nd Street 32, 15201 Pittsburgh · 7 km

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

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.

Weather in Pittsburgh by month

Average weather in Pittsburgh over 2016–2025: the warmest month is July. Months that average 20 °C or more by day: May–September (21.4–28.7 °C). Nights average below 0 °C in January (-5 °C), February (-3.1 °C) and December (-2.1 °C). About 1368 mm of rain falls in a year, on 159 days; June is the wettest month (158 mm) and November the driest (79 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).