Balaton, MN 56115 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Balaton, MN?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/02, about 247 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 156 frost-free days later.
Balaton 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 5 weeks of growing season left in Balaton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Balaton's last frost
05/02 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. 05/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Balaton compares
Balaton's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,775 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MN, it ranks 330 of 943.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Balaton's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Balaton's dates instead of trusting one.