Fordoche, LA 70732 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fordoche, LA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/19, about 175 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/05, about 292 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 Fordoche, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 14 weeks of growing season left in Fordoche 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
02/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fordoche compares
About 292 days separate Fordoche's last and first frost, putting it 4,378 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within LA, it ranks 214 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Fordoche can differ from the 70732 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9a and Fordoche's frost date answer different questions.