Benton, LA 71135 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Benton, LA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 02/28, roughly 184 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/24, about 268 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 Benton, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 13 weeks of growing season left in Benton 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
02/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/04 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 Benton compares
Benton's growing season runs about 268 days, ranking 5,781 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within LA, it ranks 389 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Benton can differ from the 71135 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Benton's frost date answer different questions.