Ballston Spa, NY 12020 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ballston Spa, NY?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/02, about 247 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/07, about 158 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Ballston Spa, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Ballston Spa 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
05/02 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. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ballston Spa compares
At roughly 158 frost-free days, Ballston Spa places 32,969 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NY, it ranks 1,162 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Ballston Spa can differ from the 12020 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Ballston Spa's frost date answer different questions.