USDA Hardiness Zone 4a
Frost Dates for 56554 — Lake Park, Minnesota
Averages from Detroit Lakes 1 Nne, Mn US, the nearest reporting station, 13 miles away.
Plant tender crops after May 15, and expect the first autumn freeze around September 24. That leaves about 130 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- May 15
- First fall frost
- September 24
- Growing season
- 130 days
- Hardiness zone
- 4a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-30 to -25°F annual low
Planting calendar for 56554
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 6 – March 20 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 20 – April 3 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 17 – May 1 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 15 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 2 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 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 May 15 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Lake Park, Minnesota are past their last freeze. Harvest before September 24, which leaves roughly 130 frost-free days.
ZIP 56554 sits in USDA hardiness zone 4a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -30 to -25°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.