Hempstead, NY 11550 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Hempstead, NY?
Around 04/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 217 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/12, about 224 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Hempstead in Zone 7b (5 to 10°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 11 weeks of growing season left in Hempstead before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/02 isn't a guarantee
04/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/18 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hempstead compares
At roughly 224 frost-free days, Hempstead places 11,727 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NY, it ranks 132 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Hempstead can differ from the 11550 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Hempstead's frost date answer different questions.