Bedford, KY 47162 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Bedford, KY?
Around 04/12 is the usual last spring frost, about 227 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 193 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bedford in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 Bedford before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/12 isn't a guarantee
04/12 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. 05/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Bedford compares
At roughly 193 frost-free days, Bedford places 20,047 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within KY, it ranks 419 of 909.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Bedford can differ from the 47162 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Bedford's frost date answer different questions.