Lansing, MI 48956 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lansing, MI?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/01, about 246 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 162 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lansing 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 Lansing before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/01 isn't a guarantee
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/18 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 Lansing compares
About 162 days separate Lansing's last and first frost, putting it 31,573 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MI, it ranks 536 of 1,153.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Lansing's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Lansing can differ from the 48956 normal.