New Hartford, NY 13505 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Hartford, NY?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/06, about 251 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 157 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts New Hartford in Zone 5b (-15 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 7 weeks of growing season left in New Hartford before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/06 isn't a guarantee
05/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How New Hartford compares
About 157 days separate New Hartford's last and first frost, putting it 33,344 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 1,234 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in New Hartford can differ from the 13505 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and New Hartford's frost date answer different questions.