Safford, AZ 85551 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Safford, AZ?
Around 03/25 is the usual last spring frost, about 209 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/09, about 228 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Safford in Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 10 weeks of growing season left in Safford 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
03/25 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Safford compares
At roughly 228 frost-free days, Safford places 10,780 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within AZ, it ranks 335 of 506.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Safford can differ from the 85551 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Safford's frost date answer different questions.