Frost dates Louisiana Baton Rouge

Frost dates in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Last spring frost Feb 28 First fall frost Nov 26 NOAA 1991-2020

The average last spring frost in Baton Rouge is Feb 28 and the average first fall frost is Nov 26, measured at LSU BEN-HUR FARM, about 6 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 2832°F, 50% probability
Average first fall frostNov 2632°F, 50% probability
Days between them271average frost-free season
How sure is that date? NOAA probability levels for a 32°F freeze
ProbabilityFreeze still comes after (spring)First freeze has come by (fall)
90%Jan 31Dec 22
50%Feb 28Nov 26
10%Mar 21Nov 6

Read it like this: in half of years the last 32°F freeze of spring comes after Feb 28, and in 1 year in 10 there is still a freeze after Mar 21. In 1 year in 10 the first fall freeze arrives before Nov 6.

Measured at: LSU BEN-HUR FARM, LA (NOAA station USC00165620), about 6 miles away at 21 ft, 28 years of record in 1991-2020.

Other stations nearby, for comparison:

  • BRUSLY 2 W, LA (NOAA station USC00161246), about 6 miles away at 20 ft, 19 years of record in 1991-2020: last spring frost Feb 28, first fall frost Nov 24
  • BATON ROUGE RYAN AP, LA (NOAA station USW00013970), about 7 miles away at 64 ft, 29 years of record in 1991-2020: last spring frost Feb 25, first fall frost Nov 26

Seed-starting schedule for Baton Rouge, LA

Counted from a last frost date of Feb 28 (the average: a freeze comes later than this in half of years).

  1. Week of Nov 2214 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsLeekNov 22 to Dec 6
    • Start seeds indoorsOnionNov 22 to Dec 6
  2. Week of Nov 2913 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsParsleyNov 29 to Dec 6
  3. Week of Dec 612 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCeleryDec 6 to Dec 20
    • Start seeds indoorsSpinachDec 6 to Dec 20
  4. Week of Dec 2010 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsBroccoliDec 20 to Jan 3
    • Start seeds indoorsBrussels sproutDec 20 to Jan 3
    • Start seeds indoorsCabbageDec 20 to Jan 3
    • Start seeds indoorsKaleDec 20 to Jan 3
    • Start seeds indoorsKohlrabiDec 20 to Jan 3
  5. Week of Dec 279 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsLettuceDec 27 to Jan 3
  6. Week of Jan 38 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCauliflowerJan 3 to Jan 17
    • Start seeds indoorsEggplantJan 3 to Jan 17
    • Start seeds indoorsPepperJan 3 to Jan 17
    • Start seeds indoorsSwiss chardJan 3 to Jan 17
  7. Week of Jan 107 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsTomatoJan 10 to Jan 24
  8. Week of Jan 176 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsBasilJan 17 to Jan 31
    • Set transplants outSpinachJan 17 to Feb 7
  9. Week of Jan 314 weeks before last frost
    • Sow seed outdoorsRadishJan 31 to Feb 14
    • Sow seed outdoorsSwiss chardfrom Jan 31
    • Sow seed outdoorsTurnipJan 31 to Feb 14
    • Set transplants outBroccoliJan 31 to Feb 14
    • Set transplants outBrussels sproutJan 31 to Feb 14
    • Set transplants outCabbagefrom Jan 31
    • Set transplants outKalefrom Jan 31
    • Set transplants outKohlrabifrom Jan 31
    • Set transplants outLeekfrom Jan 31
    • Set transplants outLettuceJan 31 to Feb 7
    • Set transplants outOnionfrom Jan 31
  10. Week of Feb 73 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsCucumberFeb 7 to Feb 14
    • Set transplants outParsleyFeb 7 to Feb 14
  11. Week of Feb 142 weeks before last frost
    • Start seeds indoorsMelonFeb 14 to Feb 21
    • Start seeds indoorsPumpkinFeb 14 to Feb 21
    • Start seeds indoorsSummer squashFeb 14 to Feb 21
    • Start seeds indoorsWinter squashFeb 14 to Feb 21
    • Start seeds indoorsZucchiniFeb 14 to Feb 21
    • Plant seed potatoes outdoorsPotatoFeb 14 to Feb 21
    • Set transplants outCauliflowerfrom Feb 14
    • Set transplants outSwiss chardfrom Feb 14
  12. Week of Feb 28Last frost week
    • Sow seed outdoorsBeanfrom Feb 28
    • Sow seed outdoorsParsnipfrom Feb 28
    • Set transplants outCeleryfrom Feb 28
  13. Week of Mar 71 week after last frost
    • Plant slips outdoorsSweet potatoMar 7 to Mar 14
    • Set transplants outCucumberMar 7 to Mar 14
    • Set transplants outTomatoMar 7 to Mar 14
  14. Week of Mar 142 weeks after last frost
    • Set transplants outBasilfrom Mar 14
    • Set transplants outEggplantMar 14 to Mar 21
    • Set transplants outMelonfrom Mar 14
    • Set transplants outPepperfrom Mar 14
    • Set transplants outPumpkinfrom Mar 14
    • Set transplants outSummer squashfrom Mar 14
    • Set transplants outWinter squashfrom Mar 14
    • Set transplants outZucchinifrom Mar 14

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

More in Louisiana

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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