Grand Junction, CO 81503 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Grand Junction, CO?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 171 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Grand Junction 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 7 weeks of growing season left in Grand Junction before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/28 isn't a guarantee
04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Grand Junction compares
About 171 days separate Grand Junction's last and first frost, putting it 28,579 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CO, it ranks 19 of 624.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Grand Junction can differ from the 81503 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Grand Junction's frost date answer different questions.