Jackson, MI 49202 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Jackson, MI?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/01, about 246 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 164 frost-free days later.
Jackson 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 Jackson before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Jackson's last frost
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 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 Jackson compares
About 164 days separate Jackson's last and first frost, putting it 30,852 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MI, it ranks 467 of 1,153.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Jackson can differ from the 49202 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Jackson's frost date answer different questions.