Tacoma, WA 98408 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tacoma, WA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/08, roughly 192 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/14, about 250 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Tacoma 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 11 weeks of growing season left in Tacoma before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 03/08 isn't a guarantee
03/08 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tacoma compares
At roughly 250 frost-free days, Tacoma places 7,415 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within WA, it ranks 82 of 700.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Tacoma can differ from the 98408 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Tacoma's frost date answer different questions.