Frost Report

All states Minnesota

Frost dates for East Bethel, MN

When the last spring frost and first fall frost usually come, and when to plant, from 30 years of NOAA weather records.

Last spring frost

May 1

typical year

Safe to plant

May 17

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 7

typical year

Growing season

158 days

frost-free, typical year

When to plant

Counted from this page's frost dates. Warm-season crops wait for the safe-to-plant date.

CropStart indoorsPlant outsideFall planting
Cool-season crops
Peas – Apr 3 – 17 –
Spinach – Mar 20 – Apr 10 Aug 12 – 26
Lettuce – Apr 3 – 24 Aug 12 – 26
Radishes – Apr 3 – May 15 Aug 26 – Sep 9
Onions – Apr 3 – 17 –
Potatoes – Apr 10 – 24 –
Carrots – Apr 10 – May 1 Jul 15 – 29
Beets – Apr 3 – 17 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Kale Feb 20 – Mar 6 Apr 3 – 17 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Broccoli Feb 20 – Mar 6 Apr 17 – May 1 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Cabbage Feb 6 – 20 Apr 3 – 17 Jul 29 – Aug 12
Garlic – – Aug 26 – Sep 16
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 22 – Apr 5 May 17 – 31 –
Peppers Mar 15 – 29 May 24 – Jun 7 –
Cucumbers – May 17 – Jun 7 –
Zucchini – May 17 – Jun 14 –
Pumpkins – May 17 – Jun 7 –
Green beans – May 17 – Jul 29 –
Sweet corn – May 17 – Jun 14 –
Basil Apr 12 – 26 May 24 – 31 –

Onions: from sets. Green beans: until 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Garlic: harvest next summer.

The year at a glance

Start indoors Plant outside Fall planting

The chance of frost, by date

1 year in 10Half of years9 years in 10
Spring frost after May 17May 1April 17
Fall frost before September 23October 7October 22

Frost here means 32°F or colder. Read across: in 1 year in 10, spring frost carries on past the first date, which is why that date is the safe-to-plant date.

Hard freeze (28°F)

A hard freeze kills most garden plants, even hardy ones. The last one in spring usually comes around April 20 (May 3 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 19.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 4 towns.

East Bethel, Oak Grove, St. Francis, Bethel

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station CEDAR, MN US (USC00211390), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 4 zip codes, all within 9 miles:

55005, 55011, 55070, 55092

Planting dates follow common university extension advice; your local extension service can fine-tune them for your soil and microclimate.