Trenton, NJ 08541 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Trenton, NJ?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/17, about 232 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/28, about 192 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Trenton, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Trenton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Trenton's last frost
04/17 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Trenton compares
Trenton's growing season runs about 192 days, ranking 20,108 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NJ, it ranks 522 of 906.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Trenton can differ from the 08541 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Trenton's frost date answer different questions.