New Orleans, LA · zone 9b · ~328 frost-free days
When to plant in New Orleans: frost dates and zone 9b.
In New Orleans, the typical last spring frost lands around Feb 3 and the first fall frost around Dec 28, giving you about 328 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 New Orleans, keyed to your frost.
| Crop | Start indoors | Spring sow / set out | Fall sow |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato, slicing | Dec 30 to Mar 1 | Feb 10 to Apr 12 | — |
| Lettuce, leaf | — | Dec 27 to Feb 10 | Oct 14 to Dec 13 |
| Carrot | — | Dec 27 to Jan 29 | Oct 2 to Oct 28 |
| Bush Bean | — | Feb 3 to Mar 26 | Sep 13 to Oct 16 |
| Cucumber, slicing | — | Feb 10 to May 12 | Aug 27 to Sep 27 |
| Pepper, bell | Jan 8 to Mar 1 | Feb 19 to Apr 12 | — |
| Kale | Nov 15 to Dec 13 | Dec 27 to Jan 24 | Sep 27 to Nov 12 |
| Spinach | — | Dec 13 to Jan 24 | Oct 14 to Dec 2 |
New Orleans sits in Zone 9b, 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 New Orleans 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 70112 in about 60 seconds.
New Orleans planting questions
What planting zone is New Orleans, LA?+
New Orleans is in USDA hardiness zone 9b. Growing zone, gardening zone, and planting zone all mean the same thing: the USDA number, 9b 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 New Orleans?+
The typical last spring frost in New Orleans, LA is around Feb 3. 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 New Orleans?+
The typical first fall frost in New Orleans, LA arrives around Dec 28, closing a growing season of roughly 328 frost-free days. Count backward from it to find the last date a fall crop can still finish.
What can I plant now in New Orleans?+
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 3. The table above shows each crop's window; the free planner turns your ZIP into an exact, dated calendar.