FrostDateCheck

Decatur, IN 46733 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Decatur, IN?

Zone 6a

The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/23, about 238 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/19, about 178 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Decatur 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 7 weeks of growing season left in Decatur before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

The actual range around Decatur's last frost

04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Decatur compares

About 178 days separate Decatur's last and first frost, putting it 25,654 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IN, it ranks 585 of 927.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Decatur can differ from the 46733 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Decatur's frost date answer different questions.