Zone 8a Frost Dates & Planting Calendar

What zone 8a actually tells you

The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts a place in zone 8a when the coldest night of the year averaged 10 to 15°F (-12.2 to -9.4°C) over 1991–2020. The zone says which perennials survive the winter, not when to plant in spring.

Across the 546 NOAA stations behind zone 8a ZIP pages, the median 50% last spring frost is March 29 and the median first fall frost November 6; the last frost alone ranges from February 24 to May 27 from one station to another.

Frost dates answer the planting question, and they are read from the nearest NOAA station, not from the zone. The zone 8a ZIP codes here lie in 24 states; pick your own ZIP code below, or look up the zone of any ZIP code.