Frost Report

All states North Dakota

Frost dates for Powers Lake, ND

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 18

typical year

Safe to plant

June 1

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

September 17

typical year

Growing season

119 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 20 – May 4 –
Spinach – Apr 6 – 27 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Lettuce – Apr 20 – May 11 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Radishes – Apr 20 – Jun 1 Aug 6 – 20
Onions – Apr 20 – May 4 –
Potatoes – Apr 27 – May 11 –
Carrots – Apr 27 – May 18 Jun 25 – Jul 9
Beets – Apr 20 – May 4 Jul 9 – 23
Kale Mar 9 – 23 Apr 20 – May 4 Jul 9 – 23
Broccoli Mar 9 – 23 May 4 – 18 Jul 9 – 23
Cabbage Feb 23 – Mar 9 Apr 20 – May 4 Jul 9 – 23
Garlic – – Aug 6 – 27
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Apr 6 – 20 Jun 1 – 15 –
Peppers Mar 30 – Apr 13 Jun 8 – 22 –
Cucumbers – Jun 1 – 22 –
Zucchini – Jun 1 – 29 –
Pumpkins – Jun 1 – 22 –
Green beans – Jun 1 – Jul 9 –
Sweet corn – Jun 1 – 29 –
Basil Apr 27 – May 11 Jun 8 – 15 –

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 1May 18May 6
Fall frost before September 4September 17September 28

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 10 (May 23 in a late year), and the first one in fall around September 25.

Towns that use these dates

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

Powers Lake

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station POWERS LAKE 1N, ND US (USC00327281), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 3 zip codes, all within 21 miles:

58727, 58752, 58773

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