FrostDateCheck

Charlotte, MI 48813 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Charlotte, MI?

Zone 6a

Around 05/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 246 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 164 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Charlotte 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 7 weeks of growing season left in Charlotte before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

The actual range around Charlotte's last frost

05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/18 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Charlotte compares

About 164 days separate Charlotte's last and first frost, putting it 30,885 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MI, it ranks 477 of 1,153.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Charlotte's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Charlotte's dates instead of trusting one.