USDA Hardiness Zone 4b
Frost Dates for 13642 — Gouverneur, New York
Averages from Gouverneur 3 Nw, Ny US, the nearest reporting station, 3.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after May 14, and expect the first autumn freeze around September 26. That leaves about 134 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- May 14
- First fall frost
- September 26
- Growing season
- 134 days
- Hardiness zone
- 4b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-25 to -20°F annual low
Planting calendar for 13642
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 5 – March 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 19 – April 2 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 16 – April 30 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 14 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 26 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after May 14 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Gouverneur, New York are past their last freeze. Harvest before September 26, which leaves roughly 134 frost-free days.
ZIP 13642 sits in USDA hardiness zone 4b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -25 to -20°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.