Lafayette, IN 47904 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lafayette, IN?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/26, about 241 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/18, about 173 frost-free days later.
Lafayette sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Lafayette before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/26 isn't a guarantee
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lafayette compares
Lafayette's growing season runs about 173 days, ranking 27,741 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IN, it ranks 696 of 927.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Lafayette can differ from the 47904 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Lafayette's frost date answer different questions.