Applegate, MI 48401 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Applegate, MI?
Around 05/04 is the usual last spring frost, about 249 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 171 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Applegate 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 8 weeks of growing season left in Applegate before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/04 isn't a guarantee
05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Applegate compares
About 171 days separate Applegate's last and first frost, putting it 28,820 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MI, it ranks 303 of 1,153.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Applegate's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Applegate can differ from the 48401 normal.