Carthage, SD 57323 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Carthage, SD?
Around 05/05 is the usual last spring frost, about 250 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 149 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Carthage in Zone 4b (-25 to -20°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Carthage before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/05 isn't a guarantee
05/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/24 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 Carthage compares
At roughly 149 frost-free days, Carthage places 35,592 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within SD, it ranks 189 of 378.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Carthage's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Carthage can differ from the 57323 normal.