USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 83445 — Saint Anthony, Idaho
Averages from Saint Anthony, Id US, the nearest reporting station, 1.2 miles away.
Plant tender crops after May 17, and expect the first autumn freeze around September 22. That leaves about 126 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- May 17
- First fall frost
- September 22
- Growing season
- 126 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-20 to -15°F annual low
Planting calendar for 83445
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 8 – March 22 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 22 – April 5 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 19 – May 3 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 17 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by June 30 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 8 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 22 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 17 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Saint Anthony, Idaho are past their last freeze. Harvest before September 22, which leaves roughly 126 frost-free days.
ZIP 83445 sits in USDA hardiness zone 5a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -20 to -15°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.