Columbus, IN 47202 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Columbus, IN?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/11, about 226 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 195 frost-free days later.
Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 Columbus, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Columbus 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
04/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Columbus compares
Columbus's growing season runs about 195 days, ranking 19,158 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IN, it ranks 179 of 927.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Columbus's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Columbus's dates instead of trusting one.