Reading, PA 19601 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Reading, PA?
Around 04/14 is the usual last spring frost, about 229 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/29, about 197 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Reading in Zone 7a (0 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 9 weeks of growing season left in Reading before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Reading compares
At roughly 197 frost-free days, Reading places 18,574 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within PA, it ranks 353 of 2,088.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Reading can differ from the 19601 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Reading's frost date answer different questions.