Nichols, NY 13812 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Nichols, NY?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/06, about 251 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 157 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Nichols in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Nichols 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. 05/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Nichols compares
At roughly 157 frost-free days, Nichols places 33,427 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NY, it ranks 1,257 of 1,951.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Nichols's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Nichols's dates instead of trusting one.