Elsmere, DE 19710 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elsmere, DE?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/07, about 222 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/04, about 209 frost-free days later.
Elsmere sits in USDA Zone 7b (5 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 10 weeks of growing season left in Elsmere 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
04/07 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/24 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elsmere compares
Elsmere's growing season runs about 209 days, ranking 15,193 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within DE, it ranks 36 of 96.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Elsmere's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elsmere's dates instead of trusting one.