Benson, AZ 85630 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Benson, AZ?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/12, about 227 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/01, about 202 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Benson 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 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Benson compares
At roughly 202 frost-free days, Benson places 17,226 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within AZ, it ranks 383 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.