Youngsville, LA planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 9a20 to 25 °F
- Last frost
- Feb 14avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Dec 5avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 298days
Youngsville, Louisiana is in USDA plant hardiness zone 9a. Its average last spring frost is around February 14 and the first fall frost around December 5, giving a growing season of about 298 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.
Youngsville planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Youngsville'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 1 – Jan 3 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Apr 22 – May 12 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 1 | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Apr 29 – May 29 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Jan 17 – Jan 24 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Apr 12 – May 2 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Apr 7 – Apr 22 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Apr 12 – Apr 22 | Oct 6 – Oct 16 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Feb 14 – Feb 28 | Apr 15 – May 15 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Feb 21 – Feb 28 | Mar 23 – Apr 7 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Mar 3 – Mar 18 | Sep 22 – Oct 7 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Feb 27 – Mar 14 | Sep 12 – Sep 27 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Jan 3 – Jan 17 | Feb 12 – Feb 22 | Oct 2 – Oct 12 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Jan 24 – Jan 31 | Mar 25 – Apr 14 | Sep 2 – Sep 22 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 1 – Jan 3 | Jan 17 – Jan 31 | Mar 13 – Apr 2 | Sep 7 – Sep 27 |
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 USW00053915. 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 3 | Mar 24 | Nov 21 | Dec 11 | 263 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Feb 14 | Mar 11 | Dec 5 | Jan 7 | 298 |
| 28°F | Jan 28 | Mar 1 | Dec 31 | Feb 1 | 337 |
| 24°F | Jan 17 | Feb 14 | Jan 6 | Feb 5 | 365 |
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) | 7,235 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 10,715 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 9a
Youngsville 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 Youngsville?
- Youngsville, Louisiana 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 Youngsville?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around February 14, 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 11, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Youngsville?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around December 5. That leaves a growing season of about 298 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Youngsville?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Jan 1 – Jan 3 and transplant them outside about Feb 21 – Feb 28, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Apr 22 – May 12.
- How long is the growing season in Youngsville?
- About 298 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~February 14) and the average first fall frost (~December 5). 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 USW00053915 (New Iberia Acadiana Rgnl Ap, 5.4 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.