Fertile, MN 56540 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fertile, MN?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/11, about 256 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/27, about 137 frost-free days later.
Zone 4a (-30 to -25°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 Fertile, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Fertile 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
05/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fertile compares
Fertile's growing season runs about 137 days, ranking 37,544 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MN, it ranks 782 of 943.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Fertile's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Fertile can differ from the 56540 normal.