Zone 8b Frost Dates & Planting Calendar

What zone 8b actually tells you

The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts a place in zone 8b when the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020. The zone says which perennials survive the winter, not when to plant in spring.

Across the 584 NOAA stations behind zone 8b ZIP pages, the median 50% last spring frost is March 19 and the median first fall frost November 13; the last frost alone ranges from January 21 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 8b ZIP codes here lie in 18 states; pick your own ZIP code below, or look up the zone of any ZIP code.