- What "10%, 50% and 90%" mean on a frost-date table
How to read NOAA's probability levels for the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze, and how to choose one for your garden. - Last spring frost and first fall frost: how to read both
What the two dates on a frost-date table describe, why the freeze-free season is not the same as the growing season, and how mild-climate stations differ. - 32F, 28F, 24F and 36F: what the freeze thresholds mean in a frost-date table
Why NOAA publishes frost and freeze dates at several temperature thresholds and how gardeners commonly choose one. - How to find the nearest NOAA station for your garden
A practical way to choose which weather station's frost dates to use, using distance, elevation and data quality flags. - Why frost dates are not forecasts
What a 30-year normal tells you, what it cannot, and how to combine it with the weather forecast. - Using the US Frost Dates & Planting Calendar Workbook: a five-minute walkthrough
How to pick your station, choose a freeze threshold and risk level, and read the Calendar, Crops and By State sheets. - Seed starting by weeks before your last frost date
How generic week offsets work for starting seeds indoors, what a typical schedule looks like, and how to adjust it. - Fall planting: counting back from your first fall freeze
How to turn days to maturity and a buffer into a last-sowing date for fall crops, with a worked example. - Your yard is not the weather station: microclimates and frost dates
Why the same frost date does not fit every yard and how to adjust a table using a few simple observations.
Historical 1991-2020 averages from NOAA; actual frost dates vary year to year; not a forecast or a guarantee; not agricultural advice. Source: Palecki, M., Durre, I., Applequist, S., Arguez, A., Lawrimore, J. (2021). U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), version 1.0.1. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. doi:10.25921/4ek7-fk11. Quietcog is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by NOAA or the National Weather Service. Quietcog processed the station files; any processing errors are ours.