New Orleans, LA 70126 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Orleans, LA?
Around 01/22 is the usual last spring frost, about 147 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 01/05, about 348 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts New Orleans 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 19 weeks of growing season left in New Orleans before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/22 isn't a guarantee
01/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/23 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How New Orleans compares
At roughly 348 frost-free days, New Orleans places 2,365 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within LA, it ranks 3 of 710.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around New Orleans's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in New Orleans can differ from the 70126 normal.