Smithfield, NE 68976 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Smithfield, NE?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/26, roughly 241 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 169 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Smithfield, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Smithfield 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
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Smithfield compares
At roughly 169 frost-free days, Smithfield places 29,633 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NE, it ranks 253 of 605.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Smithfield's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Smithfield can differ from the 68976 normal.