Benton, LA 71162 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.
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
At roughly 268 frost-free days, Benton places 5,793 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within LA, it ranks 401 of 710.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Benton can differ from the 71162 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Benton's frost date answer different questions.