Planting calendar for Rochester, NY
Direct answer. In Rochester, NY, the median last 32°F date at ROCHESTER GTR INTL AP, NY US (USW00014768) is April 24, and the median first 32°F date is October 25. The station is 4.8 miles from the city point. Crop windows come from Cornell University, Cornell Vegetables. Where that guide counts weeks from a frost date and does not name a 10%, 50%, or 90% level, those weeks are applied to these median dates.
Median last 32°F April 24. Median first 32°F October 25. Frost dates for Rochester.
Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%
Last 32°F in spring
NCEI’s probability is the chance the last spring minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or after the date.
| Probability | Date | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 90% | April 12 | Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common. |
| 50% | April 24 | Median. |
| 10% | May 8 | Later date. A last 32°F on or after this day is uncommon. |
First 32°F in fall
NCEI’s probability is the chance the first autumn minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or before the date.
| Probability | Date | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | October 8 | Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon. |
| 50% | October 25 | Median. |
| 90% | November 7 | Later date. A first 32°F on or before this day is common. |
32°F growing-season length
Days between the last spring 32°F and the first autumn 32°F. The figure is a length the season meets or exceeds at that probability, from NCEI, not a subtraction done on this site.
| Probability the season is at least this long | Days |
|---|---|
| 10% | 201 |
| 50% | 181 |
| 90% | 162 |
28°F threshold
| 10% | 50% | 90% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last, on or after | April 26 | April 14 | April 1 |
| First, on or before | October 25 | November 6 | November 21 |
| Season at least | 228 days | 207 days | 186 days |
36°F threshold
| 10% | 50% | 90% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last, on or after | May 19 | May 4 | April 23 |
| First, on or before | September 28 | October 11 | October 27 |
| Season at least | 176 days | 158 days | 139 days |
Station ROCHESTER GTR INTL AP, NY US (USW00014768). Completeness flag S, 25 years used for the 32°F dates. NCEI’s annual probability of at least one day at or below 32°F is 100%. Freeze dates are conditional on that threshold occurring. Elevation 162.5 m. The same probability language applies to the 28°F and 36°F rows when those dates passed the same quality checks.
Questions
- Which frost date do the crop weeks use?
- Weeks after the frost-free date use the median last 32°F date, April 24, when the guide does not name a probability. Weeks before the first freeze use the median first 32°F date, October 25. Both medians are 50% dates in the NOAA 1991–2020 normals for the station on this page. The page says when that anchor was used.
- Where do the crop dates come from?
- Crop dates come from the extension guide cited on this page, not from a second calendar invented here. The publisher and the title are printed with the source note. A month without a day is expanded to the first and last day of that month, and the page says so. A phrase without two dates stays a phrase.
- Is this planting calendar a forecast?
- No. The frost dates are 1991–2020 climate normals at the station 4.8 miles from the city point. The crop windows are the cited guide’s ranges, shifted only when that guide itself used weeks. A cold spring can still fall past the median. The National Weather Service forecast covers a particular night. This page does not.
Crops in the cited guide
Rochester, NY
Zone 6bAverage annual extreme minimum -5°F to 0°F
Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%
New York. Nearest qualified station: ROCHESTER GTR INTL AP, NY US (USW00014768), 4.8 miles. Median last 32°F April 24. Median first 32°F October 25. The 50% growing-season length is 181 days.
Open the ZIP page · Crop guides for New York
32°F probabilities at this station
| 10% | 50% | 90% | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Last 32°F on or after | May 8 | April 24 | April 12 |
| First 32°F on or before | October 8 | October 25 | November 7 |
Column order matches the NCEI file: for the last freeze, 10% is the later date and 90% is the earlier date. How to read the probabilities.
Planting calendar
Windows below are from Cornell University, Cornell Vegetables, Vegetable planting dates for Upstate New York, retrieved 2026-10-10. It’s based on areas with last spring frost around May 20 and first fall frost around October 1. Dates below are the outdoor ranges printed in that table, not a conversion into weeks before frost.
Date checks use your device’s calendar and appear after the page loads.
State crop pages: Beans · Beets · Broccoli · Cabbage · Carrots · Swiss chard · Sweet corn · Cucumber