Decatur, IN 46782 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Decatur, IN?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/23, roughly 238 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/19, about 178 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 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 Decatur, not a forecast for this year.
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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
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 25,655 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IN, it ranks 586 of 927.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Decatur can differ from the 46782 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Decatur's frost date answer different questions.