Tampa, FL 33618 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tampa, FL?
Around 01/20 is the usual last spring frost, about 145 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 01/12, about 365 frost-free days later.
Tampa sits in USDA Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 20 weeks of growing season left in Tampa before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/20 isn't a guarantee
01/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tampa compares
Tampa's growing season runs about 365 days, ranking 73 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within FL, it ranks 35 of 1,609.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Tampa's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Tampa's dates instead of trusting one.