Frost Report

All states Pennsylvania

Frost dates for Emporium, PA

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 7

typical year

Safe to plant

May 23

frost is over in 9 of 10 years

First fall frost

October 15

typical year

Growing season

160 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 9 – 23 –
Spinach – Mar 26 – Apr 16 Aug 20 – Sep 3
Lettuce – Apr 9 – 30 Aug 20 – Sep 3
Radishes – Apr 9 – May 21 Sep 3 – 17
Onions – Apr 9 – 23 –
Potatoes – Apr 16 – 30 –
Carrots – Apr 16 – May 7 Jul 23 – Aug 6
Beets – Apr 9 – 23 Aug 6 – 20
Kale Feb 26 – Mar 12 Apr 9 – 23 Aug 6 – 20
Broccoli Feb 26 – Mar 12 Apr 23 – May 7 Aug 6 – 20
Cabbage Feb 12 – 26 Apr 9 – 23 Aug 6 – 20
Garlic – – Sep 3 – 24
Warm-season crops
Tomatoes Mar 28 – Apr 11 May 23 – Jun 6 –
Peppers Mar 21 – Apr 4 May 30 – Jun 13 –
Cucumbers – May 23 – Jun 13 –
Zucchini – May 23 – Jun 20 –
Pumpkins – May 23 – Jun 13 –
Green beans – May 23 – Aug 6 –
Sweet corn – May 23 – Jun 20 –
Basil Apr 18 – May 2 May 30 – Jun 6 –

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 23May 7April 23
Fall frost before October 1October 15November 1

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 27 (May 13 in a late year), and the first one in fall around October 28.

Towns that use these dates

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

Emporium

Where these dates come from

NOAA weather station EMPORIUM, PA US (USC00362629), 1991–2020 climate normals. It's the nearest station for 3 zip codes, all within 17 miles:

15821, 15834, 15868

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