Princeton, NJ 08536 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Princeton, NJ, ZIP 08536
Around 04/25 is the usual last spring frost, about 240 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 173 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Princeton in Zone 7a (0 to 5°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
Zone 7a around Princeton has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/25 isn't a guarantee
04/25 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Princeton compares
About 173 days separate Princeton's last and first frost, putting it 27,786 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NJ, it ranks 833 of 906.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Princeton's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Princeton can differ from the 08536 normal.