FrostDateFinder

Home › States › Boise

Boise, Idaho frost dates

Average last spring frost: April 24. Average first fall frost: October 21. That gives a growing season of about 179 days. For frost-tender plants, a safer planting date is May 9, after which a freeze happens in only 1 year in 10.
Last frost (50%)
Apr 24
1-in-10 risk after May 9
First frost (50%)
Oct 21
1-in-10 risk before Oct 5
Growing season
179 days
median frost-free days
Hard freeze (28°F)
Apr 2
median last 28°F in spring

Frost risk by date

Chance of frostSpring: frost afterFall: frost before
90%April 4November 5
70%April 17October 27
50%April 24October 21
30%April 30October 14
10%May 9October 5

Read the spring column like this: there is a 10% chance of a 32°F freeze after May 9. These are NOAA probabilities for the Boise Air Terminal weather station (USW00024131, elevation 858 m), 1991–2020.

Boise vegetable planting calendar

Dates count from the 50% last-frost date (April 24). For tomatoes, peppers and other frost-tender crops, waiting until the 10% date (May 9) is the cautious choice.

CropStart seeds indoorsPlant out
BeansApr 3May 1 (usually sown directly in the garden)
BroccoliFeb 13Mar 27
Brussels sproutsFeb 13Mar 27
CabbageFeb 6Mar 20
CauliflowerFeb 27Apr 10
Sweet cornMar 27Apr 24 (usually sown directly in the garden)
CucumbersApr 10May 1
KaleFeb 6Mar 20
LeeksJan 9Mar 20
LettuceMar 6Apr 10
MelonsApr 17May 8
OnionsJan 2Mar 13 (from seed; sets and transplants go out at the same time)
PeasFeb 27Mar 27 (usually sown directly in the garden)
PeppersMar 13May 8
SquashApr 17May 8
TomatoesFeb 27Apr 24

Offsets from Oregon State University Extension's seed-starting table. "Plant out" means transplant, or sow directly for crops usually grown from seed.

Fall frost and season extension

The first fall freeze usually arrives around October 21. There's a 1-in-10 chance it comes before October 5. Harvest tender crops such as basil, tomatoes, peppers and squash before then, or cover them on cold nights. Cool-season crops like kale, cabbage and Brussels sprouts handle light frost, and often taste sweeter after it. A hard freeze (28°F) typically comes around October 31.

Nearby cities

CityLast frost (50%)First frost (50%)Distance
Missoula, MTMay 16Sep 26~410 km
Spokane, WAApr 26Oct 12~462 km
Salt Lake City, UTApr 8Oct 31~462 km
Yakima, WAMay 8Oct 4~480 km
Reno, NVApr 20Oct 23~535 km
Medford, ORApr 8Oct 29~549 km

More: all Idaho frost dates