USDA zone 8b in Florida
USDA plant hardiness zone 8b covers 4 locations across Florida (average annual extreme minimum 15 to 20 °F): Bonifay, FL, Cobbtown, FL, Crestview, FL, Day, FL. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 5 (Bonifay) to March 21 (Crestview), and growing seasons run 237–264 days (Crestview to Day) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Florida location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Bonifay, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 8b15 to 20 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 5–Mar 21avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Nov 12–Nov 25avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 237–264days
Locations in this group
Every location below shares this zone and a nearby weather station, but keeps its own frost dates — find your town for its own numbers, or use the ZIP planner on the home page for an instant personalized answer.
| Location | Also covers | Nearest station | Last frost | First frost | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonifay * | — | Chipley | Mar 5 | Nov 21 | 263 |
| Cobbtown | — | Whiting Fld Nas | Mar 14 | Nov 19 | 251 |
| Crestview | Laurel Hill, Paxton | Crestview Bob Sikes Ap | Mar 21 | Nov 12 | 237 |
| Day | — | Mayo | Mar 8 | Nov 25 | 264 |
* Bonifay is this group's median-season location — the calendar below is computed from its data.
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.
Planting calendar (Bonifay, representative)
Computed from Bonifay's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Floridazone 8b group. 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 — your own location's dates may run a week or two earlier or later (see the table above).
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting | Season fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | May 11 – May 31 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 – Jan 8 | Mar 19 – Mar 26 | May 18 – Jun 17 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 5 – Feb 12 | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | May 1 – May 21 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 26 – May 11 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | May 1 – May 11 | Sep 22 – Oct 2 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | May 4 – Jun 3 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 12 – Mar 19 | Apr 11 – Apr 26 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Mar 22 – Apr 6 | Sep 8 – Sep 23 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 18 – Apr 2 | Aug 29 – Sep 13 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 22 – Feb 5 | Mar 3 – Mar 13 | Sep 18 – Sep 28 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 12 – Feb 19 | Apr 13 – May 3 | Aug 19 – Sep 8 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 8 – Jan 22 | Feb 5 – Feb 19 | Apr 1 – Apr 21 | Aug 24 – Sep 13 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Bonifay's own 263-day growing season (32°F, NOAA 1991–2020 median) against each crop's real days-to-maturity range: 12 of 12 crops mature here with comfortable margin. A different location in the table above with a longer or shorter season will get a different mix — the ZIP planner on the home page gives your own.
Frost & freeze dates (Bonifay)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00081544. 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 — 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 21 | Apr 8 | Nov 9 | Nov 29 | 233 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 5 | Mar 27 | Nov 21 | Dec 16 | 263 |
| 28°F | Feb 16 | Mar 14 | Dec 8 | Jan 15 | 296 |
| 24°F | Feb 2 | Feb 28 | Jan 1 | Feb 2 | 330 |
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. This group's median GDD (base 50°F) across all 4 locations is 6,643; Bonifay's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 6,760 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 10,179 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8b in Florida
Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of about 15 to 20 °F on the USDA's 2023 map — the number that 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. Florida spans 7 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Florida locations for the full range, including zones9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b.
Explore zone 8b in other states at zone 8b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What does USDA hardiness zone 8b mean in Florida?
- Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 15 to 20 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 4 locations in Florida fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in Florida's zone 8b is the growing season longest?
- Day runs the longest season on this page at about 264 days; Crestview is shortest at about 237 days — they share the same hardiness zone, but they sit at different weather stations, so their frost calendars differ.
- When should I plant tomatoes in Florida's zone 8b?
- Using Bonifay's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 8 – Jan 22, then transplant outside about Mar 12 – Mar 19. Your own location in the table above may differ by a week or two — use the ZIP planner on the home page for your exact station's dates.
- Does every location in Florida's zone 8b have the same frost dates?
- No — they do not all share a weather station, so frost dates vary by a week or more across the 4 locations listed (see the table above for each location's own dates).
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, one reading per location's own nearest station (see the table above). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to each 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.