Litchfield, NE 68852 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Litchfield, NE?
Around 05/03 is the usual last spring frost, about 248 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 153 frost-free days later.
Litchfield sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Litchfield before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/03 isn't a guarantee
05/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 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 Litchfield compares
About 153 days separate Litchfield's last and first frost, putting it 34,640 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 495 of 605.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Litchfield's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Litchfield's dates instead of trusting one.