USDA zone 8b in Nevada
USDA plant hardiness zone 8b covers 8 locations across Nevada (average annual extreme minimum 15 to 20 °F): Amargosa Valley, NV, Caliente, NV, Goodsprings, NV, Las Vegas, NV, Mount Charleston, NV, Mount Charleston, NV, and 2 more. Average last spring frost across this group ranges March 7 (Searchlight) to May 31 (Mount Charleston), and growing seasons run 124–266 days (Mount Charleston to Searchlight) — even within one state, because hardiness sets winter survival, not planting dates. The table below gives every Nevada location's own frost dates; the printable planting calendar uses Amargosa Valley, this group's median-season location.
- USDA zone
- 8b15 to 20 °F
- Last frost range
- Mar 7–May 31avg, 32°F
- First frost range
- Oct 2–Nov 29avg, 32°F
- Growing season range
- 124–266days
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amargosa Valley * | — | Amargosa Farms-garey | Mar 15 | Nov 13 | 237 |
| Caliente | — | Elgin | Apr 11 | Nov 1 | 203 |
| Goodsprings | — | Goodsprings | Mar 17 | Nov 20 | 245 |
| Las Vegas | Blue Diamond | Red Rock Canyon - Spg Mt Rch S | Mar 13 | Nov 15 | 244 |
| Mount Charleston | — | Mt Charleston Fire Stn | May 31 | Oct 2 | 124 |
| Mount Charleston | Indian Springs | Desert Nwr | Mar 22 | Nov 7 | 229 |
| Pahrump | Shoshone, Charleston View | Pahrump 4 Nw | Mar 29 | Nov 3 | 218 |
| Searchlight | — | Searchlight | Mar 7 | Nov 29 | 266 |
* Amargosa Valley 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 (Amargosa Valley, representative)
Computed from Amargosa Valley's average frost dates — the median-season location in this Nevadazone 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 18 – Feb 1 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | May 21 – Jun 10 | — | matures comfortably |
| Pepper | Very tender | Jan 4 – Jan 18 | Mar 29 – Apr 5 | May 28 – Jun 27 | — | matures comfortably |
| Cucumber | Tender | Feb 15 – Feb 22 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | May 11 – May 31 | — | matures comfortably |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | May 6 – May 21 | — | matures comfortably |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | May 11 – May 21 | Sep 14 – Sep 24 | matures comfortably |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Mar 15 – Mar 29 | May 14 – Jun 13 | — | matures comfortably |
| Basil | Very tender | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 22 – Mar 29 | Apr 21 – May 6 | — | matures comfortably |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 1 – Apr 16 | Aug 31 – Sep 15 | matures comfortably |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 28 – Apr 12 | Aug 21 – Sep 5 | matures comfortably |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Feb 1 – Feb 15 | Mar 13 – Mar 23 | Sep 10 – Sep 20 | matures comfortably |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Feb 22 – Mar 1 | Apr 23 – May 13 | Aug 11 – Aug 31 | matures comfortably |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Jan 18 – Feb 1 | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Apr 11 – May 1 | Aug 16 – Sep 5 | matures comfortably |
Which crops fit this growing season
Using Amargosa Valley's own 237-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 (Amargosa Valley)
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USC00260150. 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 | Apr 8 | Apr 24 | Nov 3 | Nov 16 | 209 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Mar 15 | Apr 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 26 | 237 |
| 28°F | Feb 23 | Mar 15 | Nov 24 | Dec 10 | 272 |
| 24°F | Feb 2 | Feb 26 | Dec 7 | Dec 30 | 310 |
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 8 locations is 5,274; Amargosa Valley's own reading is shown below.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 5,850 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 9,033 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 8b in Nevada
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. Nevada spans 10 hardiness zones in this dataset — see all Nevada locations for the full range, including zones5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 9a, 9b.
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 Nevada?
- Zone 8b means an average annual extreme minimum winter temperature of 15 to 20 °F — the standard USDA measure of which perennials survive winter. 8 locations in Nevada fall in this zone. It does not set planting dates; see the frost calendar below for that.
- Where in Nevada's zone 8b is the growing season longest?
- Searchlight runs the longest season on this page at about 266 days; Mount Charleston is shortest at about 124 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 Nevada's zone 8b?
- Using Amargosa Valley's frost dates (this page's median-season location): start seeds indoors about Jan 18 – Feb 1, then transplant outside about Mar 22 – Mar 29. 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 Nevada'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 8 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.