Minneapolis, MN 55406 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Minneapolis, MN?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/23, roughly 238 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 175 frost-free days later.
Minneapolis sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 Minneapolis before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Minneapolis compares
At roughly 175 frost-free days, Minneapolis places 26,695 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MN, it ranks 49 of 943.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Minneapolis can differ from the 55406 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Minneapolis's frost date answer different questions.