USDA Hardiness Zone 4b
Frost Dates for 55354 — Lester Prairie, Minnesota
Averages from Hutchinson 1 N, Mn US, the nearest reporting station, 15.2 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 28, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 8. That leaves about 163 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 28
- First fall frost
- October 8
- Growing season
- 163 days
- Hardiness zone
- 4b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-25 to -20°F annual low
Planting calendar for 55354
| 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 July 16 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 24 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 8 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 Lester Prairie, Minnesota are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 8, which leaves roughly 163 frost-free days.
ZIP 55354 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.