Buffalo, IN planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5b−15 to −10 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 25avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 18avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 173days
Buffalo, Indiana is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b. Its average last spring frost is around April 25 and the first fall frost around October 18, giving a growing season of about 173 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.
Buffalo planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Buffalo'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 | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | May 2 – May 9 | Jul 1 – Jul 21 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | May 9 – May 16 | Jul 8 – Aug 7 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Mar 28 – Apr 4 | May 2 – May 9 | Jun 21 – Jul 11 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 2 – May 9 | Jun 16 – Jul 1 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 2 – May 9 | Jun 21 – Jul 1 | Aug 19 – Aug 29 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 24 – Jul 24 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | May 2 – May 9 | Jun 1 – Jun 16 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 12 – May 27 | Aug 5 – Aug 20 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | May 8 – May 23 | Jul 26 – Aug 10 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 23 – May 3 | Aug 15 – Aug 25 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 4 – Apr 11 | Jun 3 – Jun 23 | Jul 16 – Aug 5 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 22 – Jun 11 | Jul 21 – Aug 10 |
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 USC00129670. 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 | May 5 | May 23 | Oct 7 | Oct 20 | 153 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 25 | May 11 | Oct 18 | Oct 31 | 173 |
| 28°F | Apr 14 | Apr 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 11 | 198 |
| 24°F | Apr 2 | Apr 16 | Nov 9 | Nov 27 | 221 |
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) | 3,113 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 5,280 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5b
Buffalo sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about −15 to −10 °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 5b, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Buffalo?
- Buffalo, Indiana is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature −15 to −10 °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 Buffalo?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 25, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 11, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Buffalo?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 18. That leaves a growing season of about 173 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Buffalo?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Feb 28 – Mar 14 and transplant them outside about May 2 – May 9, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 1 – Jul 21.
- How long is the growing season in Buffalo?
- About 173 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 25) and the average first fall frost (~October 18). 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 USC00129670 (Winamac 2sse, 7.2 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.