Baton Rouge, LA · zone 9a · ~271 frost-free days
When to plant in Baton Rouge: frost dates and zone 9a.
In Baton Rouge, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 27 and the first fall frost around Nov 25, giving you about 271 frost-free days. Cool-season crops go out before the last frost; warm-season crops wait until after it.
The 2026 windows
Sow dates for Baton Rouge, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Jan 23 to Mar 25 | Mar 6 to May 6 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Jan 20 to Mar 6 | Sep 11 to Nov 10 |
| Carrot | — | Jan 20 to Feb 22 | Aug 30 to Sep 25 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 27 to Apr 19 | Aug 11 to Sep 13 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Mar 6 to Jun 5 | Jul 25 to Aug 25 |
| Pepper, bell | Feb 1 to Mar 25 | Mar 15 to May 6 | — |
| Kale | Dec 9 to Jan 6 | Jan 20 to Feb 17 | Aug 25 to Oct 10 |
| Spinach | — | Jan 6 to Feb 17 | Sep 11 to Oct 30 |
Baton Rouge sits in Zone 9a, but two gardens in the same city can be a week or two apart. The planner works from your ZIP code's frost dates, not the zone, so the dates land right for your block, not the metro average.
Build your Baton Rouge garden plan.
Tell the free planner what you want to eat and who you're feeding. It returns plant counts, spacing, and frost-safe sow dates for ZIP 70802 in about 60 seconds.
Baton Rouge planting questions
What planting zone is Baton Rouge, LA?+
Baton Rouge is in USDA hardiness zone 9a. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 9a here. It tells you what survives winter, not when to plant. Frost dates set your planting time, and the free planner uses your exact ZIP code's frost dates, which can differ by weeks across one metro.
When is the last frost date in Baton Rouge?+
The typical last spring frost in Baton Rouge, LA is around Feb 27. That is an average from local history, not a guarantee, so tender crops like tomatoes and peppers are safer with a week of buffer after it.
When is the first frost date in Baton Rouge?+
The typical first fall frost in Baton Rouge, LA arrives around Nov 25, closing a growing season of roughly 271 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in Baton Rouge?+
It depends on the date. Cool-season crops like lettuce, kale, and spinach go out weeks before the last frost; warm-season crops like tomatoes and peppers wait until after Feb 27. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.