Colorado Springs, CO 80949 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Colorado Springs, CO?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/03, roughly 248 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 158 frost-free days later.
Colorado Springs sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Colorado Springs before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/03 isn't a guarantee
05/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Colorado Springs compares
Colorado Springs's growing season runs about 158 days, ranking 32,838 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CO, it ranks 153 of 624.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Colorado Springs's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Colorado Springs's dates instead of trusting one.