Benson, AZ 85609 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Benson, AZ?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/14, roughly 229 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 200 frost-free days later.
Benson sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Benson before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Benson's last frost
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Benson compares
Benson's growing season runs about 200 days, ranking 17,771 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AZ, it ranks 384 of 506.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Benson's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Benson's dates instead of trusting one.