Salida, CO 81201 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Salida, CO?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/29, roughly 274 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/20, about 112 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Salida in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 3 weeks of growing season left in Salida 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
05/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Salida compares
At roughly 112 frost-free days, Salida places 39,414 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within CO, it ranks 495 of 624.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Salida can differ from the 81201 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Salida's frost date answer different questions.