Baton Rouge, LA 70812 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Baton Rouge, LA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/25, about 181 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/26, about 276 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Baton Rouge in Zone 9a (20 to 25°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 13 weeks of growing season left in Baton Rouge 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
02/25 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. 03/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Baton Rouge compares
At roughly 276 frost-free days, Baton Rouge places 5,042 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within LA, it ranks 259 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Baton Rouge can differ from the 70812 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9a and Baton Rouge's frost date answer different questions.