Bardstown, KY 40048 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Bardstown, KY, ZIP 40048
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/13, roughly 228 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 195 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Bardstown, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 7a around Bardstown has about 8 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/13 isn't a guarantee
04/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/03 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Bardstown compares
About 195 days separate Bardstown's last and first frost, putting it 19,215 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within KY, it ranks 392 of 909.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Bardstown can differ from the 40048 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 7a and Bardstown's frost date answer different questions.