USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 48894 — Westphalia, Michigan
Averages from Saint Johns, Mi US, the nearest reporting station, 13.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 28, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 24. That leaves about 179 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 28
- First fall frost
- October 24
- Growing season
- 179 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-10 to -5°F annual low
- First snow
- November 25
- Last snow
- April 5
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Westphalia, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Westphalia, Michigan usually arrives around November 25, and the last of the season around April 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Saint Johns, Mi US: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 48894
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 17 – March 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 3 – March 17 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 31 – April 14 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 28 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 1 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 24 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 April 28 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Westphalia, Michigan are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 24, which leaves roughly 179 frost-free days.
ZIP 48894 sits in USDA hardiness zone 6a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -10 to -5°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.