Elizabeth, CO 80116 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elizabeth, CO?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/16, roughly 261 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 137 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Elizabeth, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Elizabeth 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
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elizabeth compares
About 137 days separate Elizabeth's last and first frost, putting it 37,516 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CO, it ranks 413 of 624.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Elizabeth's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elizabeth's dates instead of trusting one.