If you're looking for Tucson average first / last frost dates of the season for gardening, you're in the right place. There's a lot of variation in the dates you'll see cited online, so here I've provided date ranges rather than specific dates.
with 25th to 75th and 10th to 90th percentile bands.
The thin dotted lines are the corresponding average perceived temperatures.
I believe frost date ranges provide more value than hard dates, because you can adjust your planting schedule against the date range based on your personal risk tolerance.
Sometimes risking early spring or late autumn planting can pay off, so factor your risk tolerance in while checking out the average frost date ranges below:
Tucson First Frost Date
Depending on who you ask, Tucson's average first frost date in Autumn falls between:
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November 18th - December 9th
Ramping down your warm season plantings from July through September also provides the same balance between risk and reward of an early Autumn killing frost.
If you're curious what to plant during this time, check out the Tucson Planting Calendars:
only to be squashed by an early November frost
Tucson Last Frost Date
Depending on who you ask, Tucson's average last frost date in Spring falls between:
February 2nd - March 14th
Ramping up your warm season plantings slowly between February and April provides a balance of risk and reward.
Take a look at the Tucson Planting Calendars for this time period if you want to know what you can plant as you wait for danger of the last frost to pass:
Tucson Average Temperatures
| Month | Average Low | Average High |
|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F | 66°F |
| February | 45°F | 70°F |
| March | 49°F | 76°F |
| April | 55°F | 83°F |
| May | 63°F | 92°F |
| June | 72°F | 100°F |
| July | 77°F | 100°F |
| August | 75°F | 97°F |
| September | 70°F | 94°F |
| October | 60°F | 85°F |
| November | 49°F | 74°F |
| December | 43°F | 66°F |
may vary compared to other sources and stations.
Tucson Gardening Frost Season
In general, prep your Tucson garden for frosts from late-November until mid-March.
If you're a risk-taker, you can temp the fates and bet on a shorter frost season.
Pushing your luck on fall plantings can pay off big if the first frost comes late. Likewise, planting a few weeks early in the spring can get you a big jump on the season if you're willing to risk it for the biscuit.
Squash got iced.
I usually treat it like this:
frosts are guaranteed December - February, and outside that I can push my luck on smaller plantings of warm season crops, knowing I might lose some.
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