Gardening in the United States: climate, frost dates and crops by region

We worked out the season of 182 cities of the United States from ten years of weather: the frost-free season lasts from 132 days in Juneau to 341 days in Orlando. The last spring frost comes first in Riverside (around 12 January) and last in Juneau (around 27 May). 8 of the cities had no frost at all.

Climate zones of the United States

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	Redding, Sacramento, Stockton, Fresno, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Santa Barbara, Riverside, Phoenix, Macon, Dallas, Charleston, Fort Worth, Shreveport, Montgomery, Jackson, Tucson, Savannah, El Paso, Mobile, Baton Rouge, Tallahassee, Pensacola, Gulfport, Jacksonville, Austin, Lafayette, New Orleans, Houston, Gainesville, San Antonio, Orlando, Tampa, Corpus Christi, Brownsville	271 – 341	12 January – 15 March	24 November – 29 December
210–269 frost-free days	Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Portland, Salem, Boston, Worcester (United States), Erie, Providence, Cleveland, New Haven, New York, Harrisburg, Provo, Trenton, Philadelphia, Hagerstown, Atlantic City, Baltimore, Dover, Cincinnati, Annapolis, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Jefferson City, Charleston, West Virginia, Louisville, Lexington, Evansville, Wichita, Richmond, Roanoke, St. George, Joplin, Bowling Green, Virginia Beach, Nashville, Tulsa, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Knoxville, Raleigh, Oklahoma City, Fort Smith, Charlotte, Amarillo, Memphis, Albuquerque, Chattanooga, Greenville, Little Rock, Huntsville, Lawton, Wilmington, Columbia, Athens (United States), Atlanta, Lubbock, Birmingham (United States), Las Cruces	210 – 269	28 February – 11 April	30 October – 3 December
150–209 frost-free days	Anchorage, Grand Forks, Spokane, Fargo, Bismarck, Duluth, Yakima, Billings, Minneapolis, Bangor, Eau Claire, Traverse City, Green Bay, Burlington, Pierre, Augusta, Montpelier, Rapid City, Eugene, Portland, Maine, Boise, Sioux Falls, Idaho Falls, Concord, Rochester, Madison, Syracuse (United States), Milwaukee, Manchester (United States), Grand Rapids, Buffalo, Lansing, Albany, Ithaca, Medford, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Rockford, Cedar Rapids, Chicago, Hartford, Toledo (United States), Des Moines, Davenport, Omaha, Cheyenne, Fort Wayne, Grand Island, Elko, Lincoln, Salt Lake City, Peoria, Allentown, Fort Collins, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Springfield, Indianapolis, Dayton, Denver, Morgantown, Reno, Carson City, Kansas City, Grand Junction, Topeka, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Frankfort, Dodge City, Santa Fe (United States), Asheville, Flagstaff	154 – 209	7 April – 12 May	12 October – 12 November
Short season: under 150 frost-free days	Fairbanks, Juneau, Missoula, Helena	132 – 141	8 May – 27 May	23 September – 6 October
Frost without a regular season	San Jose, St. Petersburg	—	18 January – 24 February	—
No frost in ten years	San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Yuma, Fort Myers, Miami, Honolulu, Hilo	—	—	—

How the regions of the United States differ

Splitting the cities in two — north (Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau and 88 more) and south (Topeka, Annapolis, Washington, D.C. and 88 more): the last spring frost comes about 44 days later in the north; the frost-free season is about 194 days in the north and 258 days in the south; the warmest month averages 28.9 °C by day in the north and 32.1 °C in the south.

Splitting the cities in two — west (St. Louis, Davenport, Baton Rouge and 88 more) and east (Bangor, Augusta, Portland, Maine and 88 more): the frost-free season is about 209 days in the west and 220 days in the east; the warmest month averages 31.9 °C by day in the west and 30.1 °C in the east; the west gets about 648 mm of rain a year and the east about 1,243 mm.

The gap between the warmest month’s days and the coldest month’s nights is widest in Fairbanks (45.5 °C) and smallest in Honolulu (7.8 °C): the smaller it is, the milder both winter and summer. Juneau is the wettest of these cities with 3,276 mm a year, Yuma the driest with 96 mm. The hottest summer days are in Yuma (43 °C on average in the warmest month), the coolest in Juneau (14.6 °C). In 114 of the 182 cities at least one month averages below 0 °C at night; the longest such winter is in Fairbanks (October–April).

Which crops suit which part of the United States

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, Bell Pepper, Eggplant	25 January (Orlando) – 8 September (Phoenix)	all 174	—
Cucumber	25 January (Orlando) – 14 October (Phoenix)	all 174	—
Zucchini	25 January (Orlando) – 12 October (Phoenix)	all 174	—
Pumpkin	25 January (Orlando) – 3 September (Phoenix)	173 of 174: Fairbanks, Anchorage, Juneau, Grand Forks and 169 more	1 of 174: Helena
Watermelon	25 January (Orlando) – 19 September (Phoenix)	all 174	—
Peas	22 December (Riverside) – 16 October (Phoenix)	all 174	—
Garlic, Tulip, Daffodil, Crocus, Hyacinth	Autumn planting: 24 August (Fairbanks) – end of December (Seattle)	—	—

Cities without a spring frost: months that suit each crop

Months whose average day is not above the highest temperature on the plant card and whose average night is not below its lowest.

City	Tomato	Cucumber	Bell Pepper	Eggplant	Watermelon
San Francisco	none	none	none	none	none
Los Angeles	none	July, August	June	none	July, August
San Diego	June–September	July–September	June–October	none	July–September
Yuma	none	October	none	none	October
Fort Myers	November	April–October	February–April and October–December	none	April–October
Miami	November–March	February–December	October–May	October	February–December
Honolulu	November–May	all year	all year	March–January	all year
Hilo	November–June	all year	all year	June–October	all year

Cities of the United States: weather in numbers

City	Frost-free days	Warmest month, day	Coldest month, night	Rain a year	Driest month	Places to buy
Fairbanks	138	July, 23.2 °C	January, -22.3 °C	454 mm	March	4
Anchorage	167	July, 18.9 °C	January, -9.2 °C	805 mm	April	15
Juneau	132	July, 14.6 °C	February, -8.9 °C	3,276 mm	June	—
Grand Forks	159	July, 27.9 °C	February, -15.9 °C	599 mm	January	2
Spokane	177	July, 31.3 °C	January, -5.2 °C	533 mm	July	24
Seattle	249	August, 25.9 °C	February, 1.3 °C	1,382 mm	July	35
Tacoma	263	August, 27.1 °C	February, 2.1 °C	1,239 mm	July	—
Olympia	241	August, 26.7 °C	February, 1.5 °C	1,416 mm	July	10
Fargo	169	July, 28.4 °C	January, -14.9 °C	666 mm	January	6
Missoula	141	July, 28.3 °C	February, -8.7 °C	573 mm	July	14
Bismarck	167	July, 29.1 °C	January, -13.6 °C	518 mm	January	2
Duluth	183	July, 25.5 °C	January, -11.8 °C	818 mm	January	2
Helena	137	July, 27.3 °C	February, -11.5 °C	491 mm	July	8
Yakima	194	July, 34.9 °C	January, -3.3 °C	339 mm	July	—
Billings	172	July, 31.9 °C	February, -9.8 °C	460 mm	July	25
Portland	241	August, 29.6 °C	February, 1.1 °C	1,251 mm	July	41
Minneapolis	179	July, 28.7 °C	January, -12.6 °C	944 mm	January	31
Salem	235	August, 30.9 °C	February, 1.9 °C	1,169 mm	July	19
Bangor	193	July, 26.5 °C	January, -9.6 °C	1,146 mm	February	2
Eau Claire	179	July, 27.7 °C	January, -12.2 °C	963 mm	January	—
Traverse City	191	July, 25.9 °C	February, -7.1 °C	929 mm	February	21
Green Bay	184	July, 28 °C	January, -9.8 °C	870 mm	February	9
Burlington	195	July, 27.3 °C	January, -8.4 °C	1,141 mm	February	13
Pierre	181	July, 31.7 °C	January, -10.3 °C	546 mm	January	1
Augusta	194	July, 27.3 °C	January, -9.3 °C	1,182 mm	February	5
Montpelier	162	July, 26.3 °C	January, -12 °C	1,053 mm	February	5
Rapid City	158	July, 29.7 °C	February, -8.7 °C	487 mm	January	1
Eugene	197	August, 29.9 °C	February, 1.1 °C	1,455 mm	July	32
Portland, Maine	203	July, 26.1 °C	January, -7.5 °C	1,171 mm	September	12
Boise	195	July, 35.1 °C	January, -3.7 °C	373 mm	July	7
Sioux Falls	180	July, 29.2 °C	January, -11 °C	779 mm	February	9
Idaho Falls	156	July, 32.9 °C	January, -9.4 °C	349 mm	July	12
Concord	192	July, 28.6 °C	January, -8.1 °C	1,112 mm	February	10
Rochester	206	July, 27.2 °C	January, -4.7 °C	1,078 mm	March	17
Madison	183	July, 27.9 °C	January, -9.8 °C	922 mm	February	28
Syracuse (United States)	192	July, 27.2 °C	January, -7 °C	1,306 mm	September	18
Milwaukee	188	July, 27.6 °C	January, -8.2 °C	974 mm	February	20
Manchester (United States)	194	July, 28.9 °C	January, -7.3 °C	1,191 mm	February	15
Grand Rapids	189	July, 28.2 °C	January, -6.5 °C	1,004 mm	February	25
Buffalo	200	July, 26.7 °C	January, -5.5 °C	1,055 mm	September	13
Lansing	188	July, 28.3 °C	January, -7.1 °C	920 mm	November	18
Albany	203	July, 29 °C	January, -6.7 °C	1,174 mm	February	21
Ithaca	194	July, 27.6 °C	January, -6.3 °C	1,168 mm	January	15
Boston	218	July, 28 °C	January, -3.9 °C	1,184 mm	August	28
Medford	173	August, 31.2 °C	February, -1.6 °C	956 mm	July	28
Detroit	197	July, 28.6 °C	January, -5.8 °C	941 mm	February	29
Ann Arbor	191	July, 28.1 °C	January, -6.8 °C	929 mm	November	22
Worcester (United States)	211	July, 28.6 °C	January, -5.5 °C	1,243 mm	November	13
Rockford	185	July, 28.4 °C	January, -8.9 °C	961 mm	February	10
Erie	223	July, 26.1 °C	January, -3.8 °C	1,342 mm	September	6
Cedar Rapids	186	July, 28.6 °C	January, -10 °C	941 mm	February	9
Chicago	202	July, 27.9 °C	January, -6.6 °C	1,116 mm	February	27
Providence	211	July, 28.7 °C	January, -4.1 °C	1,320 mm	June	16
Hartford	209	July, 29.5 °C	January, -5.1 °C	1,315 mm	June	28
Toledo (United States)	199	July, 28.6 °C	January, -5.6 °C	922 mm	September	11
Des Moines	191	July, 30 °C	January, -9.4 °C	929 mm	February	7
Davenport	193	July, 29.4 °C	January, -8.3 °C	905 mm	February	3
Cleveland	226	July, 26.6 °C	January, -3.9 °C	1,165 mm	September	17
New Haven	220	July, 28.2 °C	January, -3.4 °C	1,328 mm	June	10
Omaha	193	July, 30.5 °C	January, -8.1 °C	855 mm	February	16
Cheyenne	154	July, 29.5 °C	February, -6.8 °C	401 mm	December	4
Fort Wayne	192	July, 28.6 °C	January, -5.8 °C	979 mm	November	7
Grand Island	191	July, 30.5 °C	January, -7.5 °C	697 mm	February	2
Elko	160	July, 32.1 °C	January, -9.1 °C	346 mm	July	—
Lincoln	195	July, 31.2 °C	January, -7.3 °C	745 mm	February	16
Salt Lake City	185	July, 35.6 °C	January, -4.6 °C	565 mm	July	26
New York	231	July, 29.9 °C	January, -2.8 °C	1,311 mm	November	40
Peoria	195	July, 29.3 °C	January, -6.7 °C	952 mm	January	5
Allentown	202	July, 30.2 °C	January, -4 °C	1,231 mm	November	28
Redding	299	July, 39.4 °C	February, 4.6 °C	1,024 mm	July	6
Fort Collins	179	July, 31.6 °C	January, -8.2 °C	404 mm	December	25
Pittsburgh	204	July, 28.7 °C	January, -5 °C	1,368 mm	November	34
Harrisburg	215	July, 31 °C	January, -3.5 °C	1,156 mm	November	11
Provo	215	July, 34.1 °C	January, -4.5 °C	444 mm	July	—
Trenton	220	July, 31 °C	January, -2.7 °C	1,257 mm	November	18
Columbus	194	July, 29.4 °C	January, -4.8 °C	1,217 mm	September	21
Philadelphia	222	July, 30.7 °C	January, -2.5 °C	1,275 mm	November	39
Springfield	198	July, 29.8 °C	January, -5.3 °C	1,012 mm	December	4
Indianapolis	206	July, 29.7 °C	January, -5 °C	1,140 mm	November	16
Dayton	206	July, 29.3 °C	January, -4.6 °C	1,129 mm	September	12
Denver	167	July, 32.2 °C	January, -9 °C	424 mm	December	33
Morgantown	201	July, 28.7 °C	January, -4 °C	1,308 mm	November	—
Hagerstown	221	July, 31.8 °C	January, -2.9 °C	1,049 mm	November	5
Reno	195	July, 34.2 °C	January, -1.8 °C	450 mm	July	12
Atlantic City	238	July, 28.8 °C	January, -0.8 °C	1,211 mm	June	4
Baltimore	236	July, 30 °C	January, -1.2 °C	1,501 mm	January	30
Dover	243	July, 29.9 °C	January, -1 °C	1,326 mm	November	3
Carson City	174	July, 30.6 °C	January, -3 °C	530 mm	July	4
Cincinnati	212	July, 30.1 °C	January, -3.9 °C	1,147 mm	September	18
Kansas City	208	July, 31.6 °C	January, -4.5 °C	1,118 mm	February	21
Grand Junction	192	July, 35.1 °C	January, -6.3 °C	401 mm	June	8
Topeka	203	July, 31.8 °C	January, -4.9 °C	979 mm	February	7
Annapolis	235	July, 30.1 °C	January, -1.3 °C	1,493 mm	November	7
Washington, D.C.	230	July, 31.3 °C	January, -1.8 °C	1,404 mm	January	34
Colorado Springs	165	July, 30.8 °C	February, -7.7 °C	389 mm	December	21
St. Louis	212	July, 31.1 °C	January, -3.6 °C	1,345 mm	December	15
Sacramento	296	July, 35.9 °C	December, 4.8 °C	648 mm	July	22
Jefferson City	213	July, 31.9 °C	January, -3.6 °C	1,103 mm	December	—
Charleston, West Virginia	211	July, 30 °C	January, -2.5 °C	1,269 mm	November	6
Pueblo	190	July, 33.9 °C	January, -5.3 °C	316 mm	December	12
Louisville	219	July, 31 °C	January, -2.4 °C	1,279 mm	November	10
Frankfort	205	July, 30.3 °C	January, -2.8 °C	1,282 mm	September	4
Lexington	211	July, 30.1 °C	January, -2.8 °C	1,358 mm	October	5
Evansville	222	July, 31 °C	January, -2.3 °C	1,201 mm	November	4
Stockton	302	July, 36 °C	December, 4.8 °C	613 mm	July	3
San Francisco	no frost	September, 19.5 °C	February, 8.2 °C	611 mm	June	40
Dodge City	202	July, 33.2 °C	January, -4.3 °C	566 mm	February	—
Wichita	210	July, 32.6 °C	January, -3.7 °C	904 mm	December	10
Richmond	235	July, 32.6 °C	January, -0.1 °C	1,132 mm	November	19
San Jose	—	July, 30.2 °C	February, 6.1 °C	556 mm	June	29
Roanoke	222	July, 31.8 °C	January, -1.5 °C	1,171 mm	November	—
St. George	258	July, 38.9 °C	January, -0.2 °C	206 mm	June	—
Joplin	216	July, 32.4 °C	January, -2.2 °C	1,140 mm	December	—
Bowling Green	224	July, 31.7 °C	January, -1.1 °C	1,423 mm	October	1
Virginia Beach	268	July, 30.6 °C	January, 2.1 °C	1,234 mm	November	—
Fresno	303	July, 40 °C	January, 4.5 °C	407 mm	July	6
Las Vegas	309	July, 40.1 °C	January, 4.1 °C	159 mm	June	12
Nashville	235	July, 31.8 °C	January, 0 °C	1,787 mm	November	7
Tulsa	256	July, 33.6 °C	January, -0.9 °C	1,153 mm	December	13
Greensboro	235	July, 31.9 °C	January, 0.4 °C	1,160 mm	November	24
Fayetteville	225	July, 31.7 °C	January, -1.3 °C	1,146 mm	September	7
Knoxville	228	July, 31.6 °C	January, -0.5 °C	1,260 mm	November	13
Raleigh	251	July, 32 °C	January, 1.4 °C	1,307 mm	October	21
Santa Fe (United States)	189	July, 29.3 °C	January, -6.8 °C	327 mm	February	18
Asheville	204	July, 28.9 °C	January, -1.8 °C	1,060 mm	November	13
Oklahoma City	241	July, 34.2 °C	January, -0.7 °C	888 mm	December	9
Fort Smith	247	July, 33.5 °C	January, -0.2 °C	1,285 mm	September	2
Bakersfield	301	July, 40.7 °C	January, 4.2 °C	307 mm	July	1
Charlotte	239	July, 32.6 °C	January, 1.3 °C	1,157 mm	November	14
Amarillo	212	July, 33.8 °C	January, -1.9 °C	406 mm	February	—
Flagstaff	169	July, 29.7 °C	January, -5 °C	370 mm	April	2
Memphis	258	July, 32.6 °C	January, 1.3 °C	1,411 mm	September	5
Albuquerque	218	July, 34.4 °C	January, -3.3 °C	275 mm	May	22
Chattanooga	237	July, 32.5 °C	January, 0.9 °C	1,313 mm	November	10
Greenville	248	July, 32.1 °C	January, 1.4 °C	1,257 mm	November	22
Little Rock	262	July, 33.3 °C	January, 1.2 °C	1,304 mm	September	2
Huntsville	239	July, 30.6 °C	January, 0.2 °C	1,441 mm	October	3
Lawton	255	July, 35.8 °C	January, 0.2 °C	761 mm	July	3
Santa Barbara	275	August, 29.1 °C	February, 3.7 °C	626 mm	July	9
Wilmington	268	July, 31.2 °C	January, 3.9 °C	1,498 mm	October	2
Los Angeles	no frost	August, 31.3 °C	January, 7.8 °C	409 mm	July	48
Columbia	265	July, 33.2 °C	January, 3.4 °C	1,177 mm	November	11
Riverside	341	August, 35.7 °C	January, 7.4 °C	386 mm	June	36
Athens (United States)	255	July, 32.1 °C	January, 2.4 °C	1,319 mm	November	6
Atlanta	252	July, 31.1 °C	January, 2.2 °C	1,524 mm	November	21
Lubbock	232	July, 34.6 °C	January, -0.3 °C	368 mm	February	—
Birmingham (United States)	261	July, 32 °C	January, 2.8 °C	1,376 mm	November	8
Phoenix	328	July, 41.6 °C	January, 6 °C	309 mm	May	35
Macon	271	July, 33.1 °C	January, 3.8 °C	1,145 mm	November	1
Dallas	289	July, 35.1 °C	January, 3.8 °C	1,399 mm	December	17
Charleston	319	July, 31 °C	January, 6.3 °C	1,383 mm	November	15
Fort Worth	284	July, 35.7 °C	January, 3.4 °C	1,147 mm	July	9
San Diego	no frost	August, 26.1 °C	January, 9.2 °C	351 mm	June	23
Yuma	no frost	July, 43 °C	January, 8.2 °C	96 mm	June	5
Shreveport	292	July, 34 °C	January, 4.5 °C	1,345 mm	September	3
Montgomery	273	July, 33.6 °C	January, 4.4 °C	1,289 mm	November	—
Las Cruces	269	July, 36.2 °C	January, 1.1 °C	209 mm	April	3
Jackson	277	July, 32.9 °C	January, 3.9 °C	1,480 mm	September	7
Tucson	315	June, 38.5 °C	January, 4.5 °C	349 mm	May	16
Savannah	317	July, 31.6 °C	January, 7 °C	1,248 mm	January	5
El Paso	280	June, 36.5 °C	January, 1.6 °C	216 mm	April	12
Mobile	325	August, 32.1 °C	January, 6.8 °C	1,617 mm	November	6
Baton Rouge	306	July, 32.5 °C	January, 6.7 °C	1,578 mm	October	6
Tallahassee	335	July, 32.2 °C	January, 6.9 °C	1,311 mm	November	5
Pensacola	327	July, 30.8 °C	January, 7.6 °C	1,585 mm	November	7
Gulfport	290	August, 31.5 °C	January, 6.8 °C	1,840 mm	November	4
Jacksonville	338	July, 32.5 °C	January, 8.4 °C	1,249 mm	November	8
Austin	297	August, 35.5 °C	January, 5.9 °C	1,240 mm	January	20
Lafayette	290	August, 32.5 °C	January, 6.8 °C	1,574 mm	October	3
New Orleans	327	July, 31.2 °C	January, 8.5 °C	1,761 mm	November	11
Houston	283	August, 32.9 °C	January, 8.1 °C	1,964 mm	February	30
Gainesville	336	July, 32.6 °C	January, 8.3 °C	1,224 mm	November	6
San Antonio	298	August, 35.5 °C	January, 6.8 °C	1,002 mm	January	8
Orlando	341	July, 31.4 °C	January, 11.1 °C	1,664 mm	February	5
Tampa	340	July, 31.5 °C	January, 11.2 °C	1,457 mm	November	7
St. Petersburg	—	July, 31.3 °C	January, 12.7 °C	1,244 mm	March	9
Corpus Christi	330	August, 33.2 °C	January, 10.8 °C	950 mm	February	2
Fort Myers	no frost	July, 31.8 °C	January, 13.5 °C	1,513 mm	March	6
Brownsville	338	August, 34.2 °C	January, 13.3 °C	819 mm	February	—
Miami	no frost	August, 31.2 °C	January, 16.1 °C	1,716 mm	February	13
Honolulu	no frost	August, 28.6 °C	February, 20.8 °C	785 mm	January	18
Hilo	no frost	September, 27.8 °C	February, 19 °C	2,106 mm	June	10

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

United States by region: frost dates and planting windows

Each region’s page sets its cities side by side: frost dates, planting windows and weather by month.

Gardening in the United States: climate, frost dates and crops by region

Climate zones of the United States

How the regions of the United States differ

Which crops suit which part of the United States

Cities without a spring frost: months that suit each crop

Cities of the United States: weather in numbers

United States by region: frost dates and planting windows

What to plant each month in the Northeast and Midwest

What to plant each month in the South

What to plant each month in Texas

What to plant each month in Florida

What to plant each month in California

What to plant each month in the Pacific Northwest

What to plant each month in the Southwest

What to plant each month in the Mountain West

More about the United States