Spring Creek, NV planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 5b−15 to −10 °F
- Last frost
- Jun 16avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Sep 13avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 89days
Spring Creek, Nevada is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5b. Its average last spring frost is around June 16 and the first fall frost around September 13, giving a growing season of about 89 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.
Spring Creek planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Spring Creek'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 | Apr 21 – May 5 | Jun 23 – Jun 30 | Aug 22 – Sep 11 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | Jun 30 – Jul 7 | Aug 29 – Sep 28 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | May 19 – May 26 | Jun 23 – Jun 30 | Aug 12 – Sep 1 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Jun 23 – Jun 30 | Aug 7 – Aug 22 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Jun 23 – Jun 30 | Aug 12 – Aug 22 | Jul 15 – Jul 25 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Jun 16 – Jun 30 | Aug 15 – Sep 14 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 23 – Jun 30 | Jul 23 – Aug 7 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | May 5 – May 19 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 3 – Jul 18 | Jul 1 – Jul 16 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 29 – Jul 14 | Jun 21 – Jul 6 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | May 5 – May 19 | Jun 14 – Jun 24 | Jul 11 – Jul 21 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | May 26 – Jun 2 | Jul 25 – Aug 14 | Jun 11 – Jul 1 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Apr 21 – May 5 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 – Aug 2 | Jun 16 – Jul 6 |
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 USC00264095. 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 | — | — | — | — | 65 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Jun 16 | Jun 30 | Sep 13 | Sep 27 | 89 |
| 28°F | May 31 | Jun 19 | Sep 25 | Oct 10 | 116 |
| 24°F | May 11 | Jun 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 22 | 146 |
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) | 1,897 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 3,783 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 5b
Spring Creek 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 Spring Creek?
- Spring Creek, Nevada 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 Spring Creek?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around June 16, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as June 30, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Spring Creek?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around September 13. That leaves a growing season of about 89 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Spring Creek?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Apr 21 – May 5 and transplant them outside about Jun 23 – Jun 30, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Aug 22 – Sep 11.
- How long is the growing season in Spring Creek?
- About 89 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~June 16) and the average first fall frost (~September 13). 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 USC00264095 (Jiggs 2ne, 14.3 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.