Potsdam, NY 13687 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Potsdam, NY?
Around 05/05 is the usual last spring frost, about 250 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 156 frost-free days later.
Potsdam sits in USDA Zone 4a (-30 to -25°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Potsdam before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Potsdam's last frost
05/05 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. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Potsdam compares
Potsdam's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,562 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NY, it ranks 1,272 of 1,951.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4a and Potsdam's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Potsdam's dates instead of trusting one.