FrostDateCheck

Sidney, NY 13809 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Sidney, NY?

Zone 5b

Around 05/13 is the usual last spring frost, about 258 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 142 frost-free days later.

Sidney sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 5 weeks of growing season left in Sidney before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

Why 05/13 isn't a guarantee

05/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Sidney compares

About 142 days separate Sidney's last and first frost, putting it 36,735 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 1,764 of 1,951.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Sidney's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Sidney's dates instead of trusting one.