Pittsburgh, PA 15212 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Pittsburgh, PA?
Around 04/18 is the usual last spring frost, about 233 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/28, about 193 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pittsburgh in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 9 weeks of growing season left in Pittsburgh before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/18 isn't a guarantee
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Pittsburgh compares
Pittsburgh's growing season runs about 193 days, ranking 19,670 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within PA, it ranks 405 of 2,088.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Pittsburgh's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Pittsburgh's dates instead of trusting one.