Frost Report

All states New York

Frost dates for Lake Placid, NY

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 27

typical year

Safe to plant

June 7

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

September 22

typical year

Growing season

118 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 29 – May 13 –
Spinach – Apr 15 – May 6 Jul 28 – Aug 11
Lettuce – Apr 29 – May 20 Jul 28 – Aug 11
Radishes – Apr 29 – Jun 10 Aug 11 – 25
Onions – Apr 29 – May 13 –
Potatoes – May 6 – 20 –
Carrots – May 6 – 27 Jun 30 – Jul 14
Beets – Apr 29 – May 13 Jul 14 – 28
Kale Mar 18 – Apr 1 Apr 29 – May 13 Jul 14 – 28
Broccoli Mar 18 – Apr 1 May 13 – 27 Jul 14 – 28
Cabbage Mar 4 – 18 Apr 29 – May 13 Jul 14 – 28
Garlic – – Aug 11 – Sep 1
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Apr 12 – 26 Jun 7 – 21 –
Peppers Apr 5 – 19 Jun 14 – 28 –
Cucumbers – Jun 7 – 28 –
Zucchini – Jun 7 – Jul 5 –
Pumpkins – Jun 7 – 28 –
Green beans – Jun 7 – Jul 14 –
Sweet corn – Jun 7 – Jul 5 –
Basil May 3 – 17 Jun 14 – 21 –

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 June 7May 27May 10
Fall frost before September 8September 22October 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 May 13 (May 27 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 3.

Towns that use these dates

This is the nearest NOAA station with frost records for 1 town.

Lake Placid

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station LAKE PLACID 2 S, NY US (USC00304555), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 7 zip codes, all within 22 miles:

12855, 12913, 12941, 12942, 12943, 12987, 12997

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