Nelson, NE 68961 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Nelson, NE?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/29, roughly 244 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 162 frost-free days later.
Nelson sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Nelson before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Nelson's last frost
04/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Nelson compares
Nelson's growing season runs about 162 days, ranking 31,846 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 358 of 605.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Nelson's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Nelson's dates instead of trusting one.