Lake, FL 32025 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Mar 1avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Nov 28avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 273days
Lake, Florida is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around March 1 and the first fall frost around November 28, giving a growing season of about 273 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Lake planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Lake's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | May 7 – May 27 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 4 | Mar 15 – Mar 22 | May 14 – Jun 13 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 1 – Feb 8 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 27 – May 17 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 22 – May 7 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 27 – May 7 | Sep 29 – Oct 9 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 30 – May 30 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 7 – Apr 22 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 18 – Apr 2 | Sep 15 – Sep 30 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 14 – Mar 29 | Sep 5 – Sep 20 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Feb 27 – Mar 9 | Sep 25 – Oct 5 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 8 – Feb 15 | Apr 9 – Apr 29 | Aug 26 – Sep 15 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 28 – Apr 17 | Aug 31 – Sep 20 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00084731. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 18 | Apr 6 | Nov 17 | Dec 5 | 245 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 1 | Mar 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 25 | 273 |
| 28°F | Feb 13 | Mar 11 | Dec 15 | Jan 14 | 305 |
| 24°F | Jan 29 | Feb 26 | Jan 4 | Feb 2 | 338 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 6,534 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 9,982 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Lake sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 20 to 25 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 9a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Lake?
- Lake, Florida is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 20 to 25 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Lake?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around March 1, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as March 24, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Lake?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around November 28. That leaves a growing season of about 273 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Lake?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 4 – Jan 18 and transplant them outside about Mar 8 – Mar 15, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around May 7 – May 27.
- How long is the growing season in Lake?
- About 273 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~March 1) and the average first fall frost (~November 28). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USC00084731 (Lake City 2 E, 9.4 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.