Spalding, NE 68665 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Spalding, NE?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/05, roughly 250 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 149 frost-free days later.
Spalding sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Spalding 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 Spalding compares
Spalding's growing season runs about 149 days, ranking 35,564 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 532 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Spalding can differ from the 68665 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Spalding's frost date answer different questions.