Tucson, AZ 85732 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tucson, AZ?
Around 01/26 is the usual last spring frost, about 151 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/16, about 326 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Tucson in Zone 9b (25 to 30°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 16 weeks of growing season left in Tucson before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Tucson's last frost
01/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/25 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/24 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tucson compares
Tucson's growing season runs about 326 days, ranking 3,207 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AZ, it ranks 195 of 506.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Tucson's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Tucson's dates instead of trusting one.