Lafayette, LA 70506 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lafayette, LA?
Around 02/26 is the usual last spring frost, about 182 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/28, about 279 frost-free days later.
Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 Lafayette, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 13 weeks of growing season left in Lafayette before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/26 isn't a guarantee
02/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lafayette compares
Lafayette's growing season runs about 279 days, ranking 4,858 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within LA, it ranks 248 of 710.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Lafayette's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Lafayette can differ from the 70506 normal.