Fargo, North Dakota: freeze dates & growing season

Three different things get called “Fargo” here, so this page is explicit about all three: the metro label (Fargo), the anchor geography (Census ZCTA 58102, a downtown ZIP-code area), and the climate record (the NOAA station below). Windows are calculated from the station — not from your street address.

Climate basis: NOAA station Fargo Hector INTL AP, ND (USW00014914), 1 mi (2 km) from the ZCTA 58102 centroid, elevation 900 ft, on the 1991–2020 climate normals.

Last spring freezeMay 101-in-10 after May 23

First fall freezeSeptember 301-in-10 before Sep 18

Frost-free season≈ 143 daysmedian at 32°F

Hard freeze, 28°Apr 30 – Oct 10kills even hardy greens

USDA zone4a-30 to -25°F winter low — not frost timing

The year

indoors under lights
in the garden
frost-free season
1-in-10 years still freeze to May 23

The Fargo year: hatched areas are the freeze-likely seasons in 1991–2020 normals.

What that means in practice

Tomatoes: plant May 17 – May 31
Peas: plant March 29 – April 12
Garlic: plant cloves October 7 – October 14

All 79 crops in Fargo

These windows describe typical years (1991–2020 climate normals), not this year's forecast. Freezes happen outside them — especially in frost pockets, valleys, and urban edges. Watch the forecast before committing tender plants.

Check a specific ZIP instead

Metro climates vary — elevation, water, and urban heat shift freeze dates by days to weeks. Look up your exact ZIP:

Nearby reviewed metros

Minneapolis, MN · Sioux Falls, SD · Omaha, NE · Des Moines, IA · Madison, WI