FrostDateCheck

Lebanon, NH 03781 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Lebanon, NH?

Zone 5a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 162 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lebanon in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.

What to do before the first frost

About 7 weeks of growing season left in Lebanon before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

How much risk comes with planting early here

05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Lebanon compares

About 162 days separate Lebanon's last and first frost, putting it 31,671 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NH, it ranks 45 of 260.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Lebanon's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Lebanon can differ from the 03781 normal.