Frost dates Florida Jacksonville

Frost dates in Jacksonville, Florida

Last spring frost Feb 1 First freeze of winter Jan 5 NOAA 1991-2020

The average last spring frost in Jacksonville is Feb 1 and the average first freeze of winter is Jan 5, measured at JACKSONVILLE NAS, about 7 miles from the city centre. Below: how sure those dates are, and what to start, sow and set out each week.

Average last spring frostFeb 132°F, 50% probability
Average first freeze of winterJan 532°F, 50% probability

Winters are mild here: the first freeze of the cold season usually comes after New Year (Jan 5), close to the last one (Feb 1), so there is no frost-free season to count. Frost matters for a few weeks in midwinter only.

How sure is that date? NOAA probability levels for a 32°F freeze
ProbabilityFreeze still comes after (spring)First freeze has come by (winter)
90%Dec 31Feb 6
50%Feb 1Jan 5
10%Mar 3Dec 3

Read it like this: in half of years the last 32°F freeze of spring comes after Feb 1, and in 1 year in 10 there is still a freeze after Mar 3. In 1 year in 10 the first freeze of the cold season arrives before Dec 3.

Measured at: JACKSONVILLE NAS, FL (NOAA station USW00093837), about 7 miles away at 20 ft, 23 years of record in 1991-2020.

Other stations nearby, for comparison:

  • JACKSONVILLE CRAIG MUNI AP, FL (NOAA station USW00053860), about 8 miles away at 41 ft, 19 years of record in 1991-2020: last spring frost Feb 9, first fall frost Dec 31
  • JACKSONVILLE, FL (NOAA station USW00013889), about 11 miles away at 33 ft, 29 years of record in 1991-2020: last spring frost Feb 25, first fall frost Dec 7

Seed-starting schedule for Jacksonville, FL

Counted from a last frost date of Feb 1 (the average: a freeze comes later than this in half of years).

  1. Week of Oct 2614 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsLeekOct 26 to Nov 9
    • Start seeds indoorsOnionOct 26 to Nov 9
  2. Week of Nov 213 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsParsleyNov 2 to Nov 9
  3. Week of Nov 912 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCeleryNov 9 to Nov 23
    • Start seeds indoorsSpinachNov 9 to Nov 23
  4. Week of Nov 2310 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsBroccoliNov 23 to Dec 7
    • Start seeds indoorsBrussels sproutNov 23 to Dec 7
    • Start seeds indoorsCabbageNov 23 to Dec 7
    • Start seeds indoorsKaleNov 23 to Dec 7
    • Start seeds indoorsKohlrabiNov 23 to Dec 7
  5. Week of Nov 309 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsLettuceNov 30 to Dec 7
  6. Week of Dec 78 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCauliflowerDec 7 to Dec 21
    • Start seeds indoorsEggplantDec 7 to Dec 21
    • Start seeds indoorsPepperDec 7 to Dec 21
    • Start seeds indoorsSwiss chardDec 7 to Dec 21
  7. Week of Dec 147 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsTomatoDec 14 to Dec 28
  8. Week of Dec 216 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsBasilDec 21 to Jan 4
    • Set transplants outSpinachDec 21 to Jan 11
  9. Week of Jan 44 weeks before last frost
    • Sow seed outdoorsRadishJan 4 to Jan 18
    • Sow seed outdoorsSwiss chardfrom Jan 4
    • Sow seed outdoorsTurnipJan 4 to Jan 18
    • Set transplants outBroccoliJan 4 to Jan 18
    • Set transplants outBrussels sproutJan 4 to Jan 18
    • Set transplants outCabbagefrom Jan 4
    • Set transplants outKalefrom Jan 4
    • Set transplants outKohlrabifrom Jan 4
    • Set transplants outLeekfrom Jan 4
    • Set transplants outLettuceJan 4 to Jan 11
    • Set transplants outOnionfrom Jan 4
  10. Week of Jan 113 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCucumberJan 11 to Jan 18
    • Set transplants outParsleyJan 11 to Jan 18
  11. Week of Jan 182 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsMelonJan 18 to Jan 25
    • Start seeds indoorsPumpkinJan 18 to Jan 25
    • Start seeds indoorsSummer squashJan 18 to Jan 25
    • Start seeds indoorsWinter squashJan 18 to Jan 25
    • Start seeds indoorsZucchiniJan 18 to Jan 25
    • Plant seed potatoes outdoorsPotatoJan 18 to Jan 25
    • Set transplants outCauliflowerfrom Jan 18
    • Set transplants outSwiss chardfrom Jan 18
  12. Week of Feb 1Last frost week
    • Sow seed outdoorsBeanfrom Feb 1
    • Sow seed outdoorsParsnipfrom Feb 1
    • Set transplants outCeleryfrom Feb 1
  13. Week of Feb 81 week after last frost
    • Plant slips outdoorsSweet potatoFeb 8 to Feb 15
    • Set transplants outCucumberFeb 8 to Feb 15
    • Set transplants outTomatoFeb 8 to Feb 15
  14. Week of Feb 152 weeks after last frost
    • Set transplants outBasilfrom Feb 15
    • Set transplants outEggplantFeb 15 to Feb 22
    • Set transplants outMelonfrom Feb 15
    • Set transplants outPepperfrom Feb 15
    • Set transplants outPumpkinfrom Feb 15
    • Set transplants outSummer squashfrom Feb 15
    • Set transplants outWinter squashfrom Feb 15
    • Set transplants outZucchinifrom Feb 15

Not in the city centre? Look up your own ZIP code

More in Florida

Where the numbers come from

Sources and method

Frost dates. U.S. Climate Normals 2020: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals (1991-2020), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (Palecki, Durre, Applequist, Arguez and Lawrimore, 2021). These are 30-year station statistics for 1991 to 2020. "Frost" here means an air temperature of 32°F or lower at the station. We use 6,539 stations that have at least 10 years of record and a published date; 176 more are stations where a freeze is too rare for NOAA to date, and 180 are stations cold enough to have frost risk all year.

Probability level. The headline dates are NOAA's 50% level: in half of years the last spring freeze comes later than that date, and in half of years the first fall freeze comes earlier. The 10% and 90% levels are shown next to them. For tender plants, the 10% spring date is the safer one to plan from: a freeze follows it in only 1 year in 10.

Which station. Your ZIP code is matched to the nearest of those stations by straight-line distance from the ZIP code's centre point (GeoNames, geonames.org, CC BY 4.0; 40,979 ZIP codes in the 50 states and DC). Nearest is not always most alike: a station on a hill, in a valley or by the water can differ from your garden by a week or more. That is why the station's name, distance and elevation are shown with every result, along with two more stations nearby. NOAA makes the same point: the normals are limited between stations as distance grows horizontally and vertically.

Seed-starting offsets. Growing Vegetables: When to Plant Your Vegetable Garden, a fact sheet from University of New Hampshire Extension. It gives each crop's weeks from seed to transplant and when it is safe to set out or sow relative to the last frost. The method is theirs too: take the planting date and count back the seed-to-transplant weeks. Where the fact sheet gives a range of planting dates, the start-indoors dates count back from the earliest one. The figures used, as the fact sheet states them:

  • Basil: Seed to transplant 6-8 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Bean: Plant seed in garden after last frost.
  • Broccoli: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Brussels sprout: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Cabbage: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Cauliflower: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2 weeks before last frost.
  • Celery: Seed to transplant 10-12 weeks; set out after last frost.
  • Cucumber: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 1-2 weeks after last frost.
  • Eggplant: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 2-3 weeks after last frost.
  • Kale: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Kohlrabi: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Leek: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Lettuce: Seed to transplant 4-5 weeks; set out 3-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Melon: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Onion: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Parsley: Seed to transplant 9-10 weeks; set out 2-3 weeks before last frost.
  • Parsnip: Plant seed in garden after last frost.
  • Pepper: Seed to transplant 8-10 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Potato: Plant seed potatoes in garden 1-2 weeks before last frost.
  • Pumpkin: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Radish: Plant seed in garden 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Spinach: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 3-6 weeks before last frost.
  • Summer squash: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Sweet potato: Plant slips in garden 1-2 weeks after last frost.
  • Swiss chard: Seed to transplant 4-6 weeks; set out 2 weeks before last frost; or plant seed in garden 4 weeks before last frost.
  • Tomato: Seed to transplant 6-8 weeks; set out 1-2 weeks after last frost.
  • Turnip: Plant seed in garden 2-4 weeks before last frost.
  • Winter squash: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.
  • Zucchini: Seed to transplant 3-4 weeks; set out 2 weeks after last frost.

Not on the calendar. The same fact sheet times these by soil temperature, not by frost date, so they get no date here:

  • Pea: as soon as the soil thaws.
  • Beet: when the soil warms to 45°F.
  • Carrot: when the soil warms to 60°F.
  • Corn: when the soil warms to 60°F.
  • Cucumber, pumpkin, summer squash, winter squash, zucchini: direct-sow when the soil warms to 70°F.

Rutabaga is left out: the fact sheet gives it New Hampshire calendar dates, not a frost offset.

The fact sheet was written for New Hampshire. The offsets are relative to the last frost, so they carry to other places with a spring frost, but where winters are mild many cool-season crops are grown in fall and winter instead. Your state's extension service has the local calendar. Dates are 30-year statistics, not a forecast: check the forecast before setting tender plants out.

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