Bigelow, MN 56117 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Bigelow, MN?
Around 05/05 is the usual last spring frost, about 250 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 152 frost-free days later.
Zone 4b (-25 to -20°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Bigelow, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Bigelow 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
05/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Bigelow compares
Bigelow's growing season runs about 152 days, ranking 34,896 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MN, it ranks 467 of 943.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Bigelow can differ from the 56117 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4b and Bigelow's frost date answer different questions.