Carmel, IN 46290 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Carmel, IN?
Around 04/18 is the usual last spring frost, about 233 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/26, about 190 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Carmel in Zone 6a (-10 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 8 weeks of growing season left in Carmel before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Carmel's last frost
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/03 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 Carmel compares
Carmel's growing season runs about 190 days, ranking 20,975 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IN, it ranks 251 of 927.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Carmel's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Carmel can differ from the 46290 normal.