Cortez, CO 81321 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Cortez, CO?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/12, about 257 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/07, about 147 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cortez in Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Cortez 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
05/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Cortez compares
At roughly 147 frost-free days, Cortez places 35,874 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within CO, it ranks 345 of 624.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Cortez's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Cortez's dates instead of trusting one.