Gretna, LA 70056 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gretna, LA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 02/01, roughly 157 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/31, about 330 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gretna in Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 18 weeks of growing season left in Gretna 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
02/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gretna compares
About 330 days separate Gretna's last and first frost, putting it 3,006 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within LA, it ranks 45 of 710.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Gretna's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Gretna's dates instead of trusting one.