Frost dates for Paterson, New Jersey
In Paterson, half of springs have had their last frost by April 14 (and 1 spring in 10 still has one after April 30), and half of falls have had their first frost by October 28, leaving about 196 frost-free days in a typical year. Here is how sure those dates are, what they mean for planting, and where they come from.
Frost dates for
Paterson, New Jersey
Last spring frost
April 14
Half of springs have their last frost by this date. For a safer bet, wait until April 30: only 1 spring in 10 has a frost after that.
First fall frost
October 28
Half of falls have their first frost by this date. In 1 fall in 10 it comes by October 13.
Growing season
196 days
Frost-free days in a typical year. 9 years in 10 get at least 175.
Hardiness zone
7a
2023 USDA map: the coldest night of winter averages 0°F to 5°F. It was 7a on the 2012 map too. ZIP codes within about 6 miles of the city's center: 26 in 7a and 10 in 7b.
Stations near you disagree. NOAA's Caldwell Essex Co Airport (7 miles away, at 170 feet above sea level), the one we used, gives a typical last frost of April 14 and a typical first frost of October 28. NOAA's New York Central Park Tower (15 miles away, at 130 feet above sea level) gives a typical last frost of March 30 and a typical first frost of November 20. So the typical last frost could fall anywhere from March 30 to April 14 and the typical first frost from October 28 to November 20, depending on whether your garden is more like one or the other. Local terrain matters: hillsides, valley floors, water and city heat can change frost dates a lot over a few miles. Treat the dates here as a starting point, and compare with a nearby gardener or your county extension office.
Print a year planner for Paterson
Frost risk through the year
How sure are these dates?
A frost date is a probability, not a promise. NOAA worked out, from 30 years of nightly lows, how often the last spring frost and the first fall frost fall on each date. The middle column is the typical year. The outer columns are the early and late years that come about once a decade.
| Early year 1 in 10 | Typical year 1 in 2 | Late year 1 in 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last frost in spring | April 1 | April 14 | April 30 |
| First frost in fall | October 13 | October 28 | November 11 |
The frost-free season between them runs 196 days in a typical year. In 1 year in 10 it is 216 days or longer, and in 1 year in 10 it is 175 days or shorter.
- Hard freeze (28°F): typically last on April 1 and first on November 9. It is a harder freeze than the 32°F frost line, cold enough to damage many garden plants; how hardy a crop is decides whether it comes through. (The National Weather Service's own hard-freeze threshold varies from office to office.)
- Frost possible (36°F at the station): typically last on April 29 and first on October 16. On clear, still nights the ground can be several degrees colder than the thermometer, so frost can form on plants when the official reading is in the mid-30s.
In 8 springs out of 10, the last frost in Paterson comes between April 1 and April 30, a window of 29 days. That is about average for NOAA's stations (the typical window is 31 days).
Among New Jersey's 48 NOAA stations with a frost every year, 65 percent have their typical last frost later than Paterson does.
Planting calendar for Paterson
These dates count from the typical last and first frosts, using the planting rules published by Colorado State University Extension (spring), Virginia Cooperative Extension (fall crops) and University of Minnesota Extension (garlic, where winters are hard). Weather in any one year can run early or late, so check the forecast before you plant tender crops.
| When | What to do | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| January | ||
| January 27 to February 24 | Broccoli and cabbage Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting them out |
| February | ||
| February 10 to March 10 | Cauliflower Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting out |
| February 24 to March 17 | Eggplant Start seeds indoors | 6 to 9 weeks before planting out |
| March | ||
| March 3 to 17 | Peppers Start seeds indoors | 6 to 8 weeks before planting out |
| March 10 to 24 | Tomatoes Start seeds indoors | 5 to 7 weeks before planting out |
| March 17 to 31 | Peas, spinach, lettuce, radishes, onion sets, turnips Sow outdoors, as early as | hardy crops: 2 to 4 weeks before the typical last frost |
| March 17 to 31 | Broccoli and cabbage Plant out, as early as | hardy crops: 2 to 4 weeks before the typical last frost |
| March 31 to April 14 | Beets, carrots, potatoes, Swiss chard Plant outdoors, as early as | semi-hardy crops: up to 2 weeks before the typical last frost |
| March 31 to April 14 | Cauliflower Plant out, as early as | semi-hardy: up to 2 weeks before the typical last frost |
| April | ||
| April 14 | Snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers, summer squash Sow outdoors around | tender crops: around the typical last frost date |
| April 28 | Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant Plant out from | very tender: 2 weeks or more after the typical last frost |
| April 28 | Melons, winter squash, pumpkins, lima beans Sow outdoors from | very tender: 2 weeks or more after the typical last frost |
| June | ||
| June 2 to 16 | Cabbage for fall Start seeds | set the plants out by July 21 |
| June 22 to July 6 | Broccoli for fall Start seeds | set the plants out by August 10 |
| August | ||
| August 1 | Snap beans for fall Last date to sow | 60 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| August 5 | Carrots for fall Last date to sow | 70 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| August 6 | Cucumbers for fall Last date to sow | 55 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| August 10 | Peas for fall Last date to sow | 65 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| August 11 | Summer squash for fall Last date to sow | 50 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth, plus 2 weeks because frost kills it |
| August 15 | Leaf lettuce and beets for fall Last date to sow | 60 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| August 25 | Turnips and kohlrabi for fall Last date to sow | 50 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| September | ||
| September 4 | Spinach for fall Last date to sow | 40 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| September 14 | Radishes for fall Last date to sow | 30 days to harvest, plus 2 weeks for slower fall growth |
| October | ||
| October 13 | Tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons, cucumbers Watch the forecast from | in 1 fall in 10 the first frost comes by this date; pick tender crops before a frost |
| November | ||
| November 16 to 23 | Garlic Plant cloves | one or two weeks after the typical first hard freeze (28°F), our reading of the first killing frost |
Want more insurance? Shift every spring date 16 days later. That plans around April 30, the date after which only 1 spring in 10 has a frost.
For spring bulbs such as tulips and daffodils, plant once the soil has cooled to about 50 to 55°F and keep going until a couple of weeks before the ground freezes. Our guide to fall planting explains how to tell.
Where these numbers come from
These dates come from NOAA's weather station Caldwell Essex Co Airport (station USW00054743), 7 miles from the center of Paterson. It sits at about the same elevation, 170 feet above sea level. NOAA rates this station's record as representative: at least 10 of the 30 years, with the gaps filled from nearby stations.
The same station also gives the frost dates for Clifton, East Orange, Morristown, Hawthorne, Madison, Florham Park, Woodland Park and Pompton Lakes.
Our ZIP code lookup matches these 4 ZIP codes to the same station, so they get the same dates: 07004, 07035, 07058, 07440. Hardiness zones are worked out separately for each ZIP code.
Nearby places
- Newark, New Jersey: last frost around April 2, first frost around November 10 (15 miles away)
- Yonkers, New York: last frost around April 20, first frost around October 26 (15 miles away)
- New York, New York: last frost around March 30, first frost around November 20 (20 miles away)
See frost dates across New Jersey, or look up your own ZIP code for the station nearest you. Want the background? Read what a last frost date really means.