Fruita, CO 81525 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fruita, CO?
Around 04/26 is the usual last spring frost, about 241 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 172 frost-free days later.
Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 Fruita, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Fruita 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
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 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 Fruita compares
About 172 days separate Fruita's last and first frost, putting it 28,215 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CO, it ranks 14 of 624.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Fruita can differ from the 81525 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Fruita's frost date answer different questions.