Frost Report

All states New Jersey

Frost dates for Lambertville, NJ

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

April 16

typical year

Safe to plant

April 30

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 19

typical year

Growing season

185 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 – Mar 19 – Apr 2 –
Spinach – Mar 5 – 26 Aug 24 – Sep 7
Lettuce – Mar 19 – Apr 9 Aug 24 – Sep 7
Radishes – Mar 19 – Apr 30 Sep 7 – 21
Onions – Mar 19 – Apr 2 –
Potatoes – Mar 26 – Apr 9 –
Carrots – Mar 26 – Apr 16 Jul 27 – Aug 10
Beets – Mar 19 – Apr 2 Aug 10 – 24
Kale Feb 5 – 19 Mar 19 – Apr 2 Aug 10 – 24
Broccoli Feb 5 – 19 Apr 2 – 16 Aug 10 – 24
Cabbage Jan 22 – Feb 5 Mar 19 – Apr 2 Aug 10 – 24
Garlic – – Sep 7 – 28
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 5 – 19 Apr 30 – May 14 –
Peppers Feb 26 – Mar 12 May 7 – 21 –
Cucumbers – Apr 30 – May 21 –
Zucchini – Apr 30 – May 28 –
Pumpkins – Apr 30 – May 21 –
Green beans – Apr 30 – Aug 10 –
Sweet corn – Apr 30 – May 28 –
Basil Mar 26 – Apr 9 May 7 – 14 –

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 April 30April 16April 2
Fall frost before October 4October 19November 4

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 3 (April 17 in a late year), and the first one in fall around November 1.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 3 towns.

Lambertville, New Hope, PA, Stockton

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station LAMBERTVILLE, NJ US (USC00284635), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 6 zip codes, all within 7 miles:

08530, 08559, 18933, 18938, 18946, 18980

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