FrostDateCheck

Fordville, ND 58224 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Fordville, ND?

Zone 4a

Around 05/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 256 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/28, about 138 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 Fordville, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

About 4 weeks of growing season left in Fordville 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 04/29 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 Fordville compares

Fordville's growing season runs about 138 days, ranking 37,461 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within ND, it ranks 193 of 405.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4a and Fordville's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Fordville's dates instead of trusting one.