Gila Bend, AZ 85337 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gila Bend, AZ?
Around 01/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 148 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/11, about 323 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 Gila Bend, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 15 weeks of growing season left in Gila Bend before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 01/23 isn't a guarantee
01/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gila Bend compares
Gila Bend's growing season runs about 323 days, ranking 3,273 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AZ, it ranks 200 of 506.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Gila Bend can differ from the 85337 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Gila Bend's frost date answer different questions.