New Witten, SD 57584 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Witten, SD?
Around 05/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 246 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 162 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts New Witten in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 6 weeks of growing season left in New Witten 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
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 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 New Witten compares
At roughly 162 frost-free days, New Witten places 31,903 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within SD, it ranks 29 of 378.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in New Witten can differ from the 57584 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and New Witten's frost date answer different questions.