Benton, LA 71153 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Benton, LA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/28, about 184 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/24, about 268 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Benton in Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 Benton 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 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
About 268 days separate Benton's last and first frost, putting it 5,789 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within LA, it ranks 397 of 710.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Benton's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Benton can differ from the 71153 normal.