USDA Hardiness Zone 9a
Frost Dates for 70346 — Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Averages from Donaldsonville 4 Sw, La US, the nearest reporting station, 2.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after February 21, and expect the first autumn freeze around December 5. That leaves about 291 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- February 21
- First fall frost
- December 5
- Growing season
- 291 days
- Hardiness zone
- 9a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
20 to 25°F annual low
Planting calendar for 70346
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| December 13 – December 27 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| December 27 – January 10 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| January 24 – February 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| February 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by September 12 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by November 21 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| December 5 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 February 21 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Donaldsonville, Louisiana are past their last freeze. Harvest before December 5, which leaves roughly 291 frost-free days.
ZIP 70346 sits in USDA hardiness zone 9a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 20 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.