Gardening in Russia: climate, frost dates and crops by region

We worked out the season of 120 cities of Russia from ten years of weather: the frost-free season lasts from 95 days in Norilsk to 290 days in Sochi. The last spring frost comes first in Sochi (around 27 February) and last in Norilsk (around 7 June).

Climate zones of Russia

By the days between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost.

Zone	Cities	Frost-free days	Last spring frost	First autumn frost
270 frost-free days or more	Sochi, Makhachkala	280 – 290	27 February – 5 March	10 December – 14 December
210–269 frost-free days	Shakhty, Taganrog, Rostov-on-Don, Astrakhan, Elista, Krasnodar, Stavropol, Armavir, Novorossiysk, Maykop, Cherkessk, Pyatigorsk, Grozny, Vladivostok	211 – 252	19 March – 8 April	1 November – 26 November
150–209 frost-free days	Petrozavodsk, Vyborg, Saint Petersburg, Vologda, Cherepovets, Veliky Novgorod, Rybinsk, Pskov, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Tver, Izhevsk, Yoshkar-Ola, Kovrov, Nizhny Novgorod, Sergiyev Posad, Dzerzhinsk, Vladimir, Cheboksary, Mytishchi, Khimki, Orekhovo-Zuyevo, Kazan, Balashikha, Elektrostal, Moscow, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Murom, Kurgan, Podolsk, Arzamas, Chelyabinsk, Obninsk, Kolomna, Serpukhov, Almetyevsk, Smolensk, Ufa, Kaliningrad, Ryazan, Kaluga, Ulyanovsk, Tula, Saransk, Sterlitamak, Tolyatti, Bryansk, Samara, Penza, Syzran, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Oryol, Tambov, Lipetsk, Biysk, Balakovo, Orenburg, Kursk, Voronezh, Saratov, Engels, Stary Oskol, Orsk, Belgorod, Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Blagoveshchensk, Volgograd, Khabarovsk, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Kislovodsk, Nalchik, Vladikavkaz	150 – 209	3 April – 16 May	1 October – 14 November
Short season: under 150 frost-free days	Norilsk, Murmansk, Salekhard, Arkhangelsk, Yakutsk, Syktyvkar, Surgut, Khanty-Mansiysk, Magadan, Berezniki, Kirov, Perm, Nizhny Tagil, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg, Tomsk, Bratsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kemerovo, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Novokuznetsk, Abakan, Magnitogorsk, Barnaul, Angarsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Ulan-Ude, Kyzyl	95 – 149	3 May – 7 June	10 September – 8 October

How the regions of Russia differ

Splitting the cities in two — north (Norilsk, Murmansk, Salekhard and 57 more) and south (Ufa, Kaliningrad, Ryazan and 57 more): the last spring frost comes about 10 days later in the north; the frost-free season is about 159 days in the north and 179 days in the south; the warmest month averages 23.8 °C by day in the north and 26.5 °C in the south.

Splitting the cities in two — west (Vladikavkaz, Volgograd, Elista and 57 more) and east (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Magadan, Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and 57 more): the frost-free season is about 171 days in the west and 152 days in the east; the west gets about 682 mm of rain a year and the east about 557 mm.

The gap between the warmest month’s days and the coldest month’s nights is widest in Yakutsk (65.7 °C) and smallest in Sochi (24.9 °C): the smaller it is, the milder both winter and summer. Sochi is the wettest of these cities with 1,697 mm a year, Yakutsk the driest with 241 mm. The hottest summer days are in Astrakhan (34 °C on average in the warmest month), the coolest in Magadan (15.4 °C). In 117 of the 120 cities at least one month averages below 0 °C at night; the longest such winter is in Norilsk (October–May).

Which crops suit which part of Russia

Season long enough: the days from planting to the first autumn frost cover the days to the first harvest on the plant card. 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.

Crop	Planting out or sowing	Season long enough	Tight or too short
Tomato	21 April (Astrakhan) – 24 August (Sochi)	116 of 120: Arkhangelsk, Yakutsk, Petrozavodsk, Syktyvkar and 112 more	4 of 120: Norilsk, Murmansk, Salekhard and Magadan
Cucumber	3 May (Astrakhan) – 29 September (Sochi)	all 120	—
Bell Pepper, Eggplant	3 May (Astrakhan) – 24 August (Sochi)	114 of 120: Petrozavodsk, Syktyvkar, Surgut, Khanty-Mansiysk and 110 more	6 of 120: Norilsk, Murmansk, Salekhard, Arkhangelsk and 2 more
Zucchini	3 May (Astrakhan) – 27 September (Sochi)	all 120	—
Pumpkin	3 May (Astrakhan) – 19 August (Sochi)	112 of 120: Petrozavodsk, Syktyvkar, Surgut, Khanty-Mansiysk and 108 more	8 of 120: Norilsk, Murmansk, Salekhard, Arkhangelsk and 4 more
Watermelon	3 May (Astrakhan) – 4 September (Sochi)	118 of 120: Murmansk, Salekhard, Arkhangelsk, Yakutsk and 114 more	2 of 120: Norilsk and Magadan
Peas	6 February (Sochi) – 1 October (Sochi)	all 120	—
Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus, Hyacinth	Autumn planting: 11 August (Norilsk) – end of December (Krasnodar)	—	—

Cities of Russia: weather in numbers

City	Frost-free days	Warmest month, day	Coldest month, night	Rain a year	Driest month	Places to buy
Norilsk	95	July, 16.7 °C	January, -27.4 °C	677 mm	January	—
Murmansk	132	July, 18.7 °C	January, -13.7 °C	644 mm	February	2
Salekhard	112	July, 20.6 °C	January, -24.6 °C	549 mm	January	—
Arkhangelsk	137	July, 21.5 °C	January, -12.5 °C	648 mm	February	17
Yakutsk	121	July, 25.3 °C	January, -40.4 °C	241 mm	January	8
Petrozavodsk	160	July, 20.7 °C	January, -10.4 °C	744 mm	March	10
Syktyvkar	133	July, 22.9 °C	January, -15.1 °C	667 mm	February	18
Surgut	129	July, 22.2 °C	January, -21.2 °C	594 mm	February	9
Khanty-Mansiysk	128	July, 23.1 °C	January, -21.3 °C	531 mm	February	—
Vyborg	156	July, 22.2 °C	January, -8.3 °C	798 mm	May	—
Saint Petersburg	172	July, 22.3 °C	January, -7.6 °C	765 mm	March	49
Magadan	116	July, 15.4 °C	January, -23.9 °C	695 mm	February	—
Berezniki	142	July, 23.1 °C	January, -15.2 °C	743 mm	February	—
Vologda	150	July, 22.6 °C	January, -11.1 °C	728 mm	February	8
Cherepovets	159	July, 22.2 °C	January, -10.5 °C	798 mm	March	8
Kirov	145	July, 23.5 °C	January, -13.6 °C	686 mm	March	20
Veliky Novgorod	170	July, 22.8 °C	January, -7.8 °C	772 mm	March	9
Rybinsk	159	July, 22.9 °C	January, -10 °C	729 mm	March	—
Perm	149	July, 23.6 °C	January, -14.9 °C	652 mm	February	26
Nizhny Tagil	129	July, 23.7 °C	January, -16.7 °C	515 mm	February	—
Pskov	166	July, 22.5 °C	January, -6.5 °C	749 mm	March	11
Kostroma	158	July, 23.4 °C	January, -11.3 °C	692 mm	March	5
Yaroslavl	153	July, 23.3 °C	January, -10.7 °C	675 mm	March	23
Tyumen	140	July, 24.2 °C	January, -18.1 °C	453 mm	February	33
Ivanovo	161	July, 23.9 °C	January, -11.2 °C	661 mm	February	6
Tver	160	July, 23.1 °C	January, -9 °C	701 mm	February	31
Izhevsk	152	July, 24.8 °C	January, -13.9 °C	604 mm	March	23
Yekaterinburg	142	July, 23.9 °C	January, -16.3 °C	484 mm	February	32
Yoshkar-Ola	158	July, 24.4 °C	January, -12.9 °C	616 mm	March	13
Tomsk	130	July, 23.7 °C	January, -19.9 °C	564 mm	February	22
Kovrov	168	July, 24.4 °C	January, -10.6 °C	638 mm	March	—
Nizhny Novgorod	170	July, 24.6 °C	January, -11 °C	627 mm	March	50
Sergiyev Posad	160	July, 23.5 °C	January, -9.9 °C	706 mm	February	—
Dzerzhinsk	168	July, 24.8 °C	January, -11.1 °C	639 mm	March	—
Vladimir	165	July, 24.2 °C	January, -10.4 °C	621 mm	March	25
Cheboksary	169	July, 24.7 °C	January, -12.1 °C	632 mm	March	19
Bratsk	132	July, 23.6 °C	January, -24.4 °C	379 mm	February	—
Krasnoyarsk	131	July, 23.4 °C	January, -20 °C	526 mm	February	26
Mytishchi	173	July, 23.8 °C	January, -9.4 °C	691 mm	February	—
Khimki	164	July, 23.7 °C	January, -9.4 °C	689 mm	February	—
Orekhovo-Zuyevo	162	July, 24.4 °C	January, -9.5 °C	673 mm	March	—
Kazan	170	July, 25.2 °C	January, -11.8 °C	578 mm	March	37
Balashikha	168	July, 24.3 °C	January, -9.4 °C	684 mm	March	—
Elektrostal	164	July, 24.2 °C	January, -9.5 °C	676 mm	February	—
Moscow	168	July, 24.1 °C	January, -9.3 °C	664 mm	February	47
Naberezhnye Chelny	160	July, 25.2 °C	January, -13.6 °C	588 mm	February	26
Nizhnekamsk	165	July, 25.3 °C	January, -13.4 °C	585 mm	February	—
Murom	177	July, 24.9 °C	January, -10.2 °C	632 mm	March	—
Kurgan	156	July, 25.7 °C	January, -18.2 °C	419 mm	February	3
Podolsk	160	July, 24 °C	January, -9.1 °C	665 mm	February	—
Arzamas	168	July, 24.6 °C	January, -11.3 °C	617 mm	March	—
Kemerovo	131	July, 24 °C	January, -19.3 °C	561 mm	February	13
Chelyabinsk	157	July, 25 °C	January, -17.2 °C	472 mm	January	32
Obninsk	160	July, 23.5 °C	January, -9 °C	688 mm	February	—
Kolomna	175	July, 24.6 °C	January, -9.1 °C	629 mm	February	—
Novosibirsk	134	July, 24.2 °C	January, -18.8 °C	561 mm	February	42
Omsk	146	July, 24.7 °C	January, -19.5 °C	453 mm	February	43
Serpukhov	167	July, 24 °C	January, -9 °C	691 mm	February	—
Almetyevsk	155	July, 25.4 °C	January, -13.6 °C	565 mm	August	—
Smolensk	161	July, 22.7 °C	January, -7.6 °C	770 mm	February	12
Ufa	154	July, 26.1 °C	January, -14.3 °C	610 mm	March	31
Kaliningrad	201	August, 22.9 °C	January, -2.4 °C	775 mm	April	22
Ryazan	175	July, 25.1 °C	January, -9.1 °C	627 mm	March	14
Kaluga	166	July, 23.9 °C	January, -8.7 °C	678 mm	February	28
Ulyanovsk	190	July, 25.9 °C	January, -11.6 °C	531 mm	February	10
Tula	167	July, 24.1 °C	January, -8.9 °C	679 mm	February	20
Saransk	167	July, 25 °C	January, -11.7 °C	590 mm	March	7
Novokuznetsk	139	July, 24.5 °C	January, -19.5 °C	695 mm	February	12
Abakan	139	July, 25.1 °C	January, -21.7 °C	450 mm	January	—
Sterlitamak	158	July, 26 °C	January, -15 °C	602 mm	April	3
Tolyatti	189	July, 26.9 °C	January, -11.9 °C	517 mm	August	14
Magnitogorsk	145	July, 25.7 °C	January, -18 °C	427 mm	January	6
Barnaul	149	July, 25.2 °C	January, -18.3 °C	553 mm	February	33
Bryansk	175	July, 24.3 °C	January, -7.5 °C	704 mm	March	6
Samara	184	July, 26.9 °C	January, -12.9 °C	539 mm	August	32
Penza	168	July, 25.9 °C	January, -11.2 °C	612 mm	March	24
Syzran	177	July, 26.9 °C	January, -12.4 °C	527 mm	August	—
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky	161	July, 18 °C	January, -9.8 °C	1,280 mm	February	—
Oryol	171	July, 24.5 °C	January, -8 °C	698 mm	March	16
Tambov	173	July, 26 °C	January, -9.3 °C	620 mm	August	10
Lipetsk	174	July, 26.5 °C	January, -8.7 °C	619 mm	August	10
Angarsk	136	July, 25.1 °C	January, -25.1 °C	447 mm	February	—
Biysk	150	July, 25.7 °C	January, -19.3 °C	613 mm	February	—
Irkutsk	139	July, 24.7 °C	January, -23.7 °C	470 mm	February	28
Chita	127	July, 25.1 °C	January, -26.5 °C	394 mm	January	7
Balakovo	189	July, 28.5 °C	January, -11.5 °C	482 mm	August	—
Ulan-Ude	139	July, 26.9 °C	January, -25.4 °C	308 mm	January	2
Orenburg	169	July, 29.4 °C	January, -14.6 °C	436 mm	August	37
Kursk	179	August, 25.8 °C	February, -7.6 °C	635 mm	September	22
Kyzyl	127	July, 25.5 °C	January, -27.4 °C	263 mm	February	—
Voronezh	191	July, 26.7 °C	January, -7.8 °C	607 mm	August	25
Saratov	195	July, 27.9 °C	January, -10 °C	504 mm	August	31
Engels	195	July, 27.9 °C	January, -10.1 °C	504 mm	August	—
Stary Oskol	182	August, 26.5 °C	February, -7.7 °C	636 mm	August	7
Orsk	160	July, 28.6 °C	January, -16.5 °C	398 mm	August	—
Belgorod	182	August, 26.9 °C	January, -6.8 °C	628 mm	September	23
Komsomolsk-on-Amur	152	July, 26.2 °C	January, -25.8 °C	658 mm	January	—
Blagoveshchensk	158	July, 27.4 °C	January, -25.4 °C	618 mm	January	5
Volgograd	209	July, 31 °C	January, -7.1 °C	411 mm	August	29
Khabarovsk	169	July, 26.7 °C	January, -23.7 °C	747 mm	January	8
Shakhty	215	August, 30.5 °C	January, -5.3 °C	528 mm	August	—
Taganrog	233	July, 29.4 °C	January, -3.3 °C	540 mm	August	11
Rostov-on-Don	225	August, 30.6 °C	January, -4.2 °C	567 mm	August	25
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk	159	July, 22.2 °C	January, -14.7 °C	1,006 mm	February	—
Astrakhan	224	July, 34 °C	January, -5 °C	250 mm	August	22
Elista	215	August, 32 °C	February, -4.7 °C	422 mm	August	—
Krasnodar	242	August, 31.9 °C	January, -1.2 °C	706 mm	August	28
Stavropol	212	August, 28.8 °C	January, -4.4 °C	737 mm	January	21
Armavir	228	August, 31.4 °C	January, -3.1 °C	706 mm	February	—
Novorossiysk	252	August, 30.6 °C	February, 0.5 °C	742 mm	July	10
Maykop	216	August, 30.5 °C	January, -3.4 °C	906 mm	August	—
Cherkessk	211	August, 29.7 °C	January, -4.9 °C	646 mm	February	—
Pyatigorsk	211	August, 27.7 °C	January, -4 °C	756 mm	February	—
Kislovodsk	190	August, 26.1 °C	January, -5.3 °C	769 mm	February	—
Sochi	290	August, 28.4 °C	January, 3.5 °C	1,697 mm	August	11
Nalchik	206	August, 25.5 °C	January, -4.1 °C	1,301 mm	December	17
Grozny	229	August, 31.6 °C	January, -3.4 °C	618 mm	December	—
Vladivostok	211	August, 24 °C	January, -11.9 °C	815 mm	December	33
Vladikavkaz	178	August, 24.2 °C	January, -7.3 °C	989 mm	December	14
Makhachkala	280	July, 29.7 °C	February, 0.7 °C	471 mm	August	11

ERA5 2016–2025 via Open-Meteo, 25 km grid cell of each city; dates by the Greenly calendar and the plant cards.