Apache Junction, AZ 85117 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Apache Junction, AZ?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 02/11, roughly 167 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/10, about 304 frost-free days later.
Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 Apache Junction, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 15 weeks of growing season left in Apache Junction 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
02/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Apache Junction compares
At roughly 304 frost-free days, Apache Junction places 3,749 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within AZ, it ranks 250 of 506.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Apache Junction can differ from the 85117 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Apache Junction's frost date answer different questions.