Baton Rouge, LA 70827 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Baton Rouge, LA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/28, about 184 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/26, about 272 frost-free days later.
Baton Rouge sits in USDA Zone 9a (20 to 25°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a 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.
Why 02/28 isn't a guarantee
02/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Baton Rouge compares
Baton Rouge's growing season runs about 272 days, ranking 5,317 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within LA, it ranks 321 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Baton Rouge can differ from the 70827 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9a and Baton Rouge's frost date answer different questions.