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When to plant in Buckeye, AZ

USDA Zone 9b

Everything below — frost dates, hardiness zone, and what to plant when in Buckeye, Arizona — is derived from the closest NOAA station with complete climate normals.

A generous ~351-day season lets Buckeye gardeners direct-sow more and still ripen long-maturity crops like melons and winter squash. Heads up: the nearest complete-normals station is about 27 km from Buckeye, so your yard's frost dates can differ — a low spot or a paved city center can shift them by a week. In zone 9b, frost is a minor factor for Buckeye — most perennials thrive, and annual vegetables can go out early and stay late.

Station · LITCHFIELD PARK · 26.9 km
Last spring frost
January 7
50% chance · 32°F
First fall frost
December 24
50% chance · 32°F
Growing season
351 days
frost-free
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Frost calendar for BuckeyeA year-band showing 32°F frost risk from January to December for Buckeye: last spring frost around January 7, first fall frost around December 24, about 351 frost-free days between.
Shaded months carry frost risk; the clear span is the average frost-free season.

The average last spring frost in Buckeye is now 5 days earlier than in the 1981–2010 normals. See how frost dates are shifting nationwide →

Frost probability

LITCHFIELD PARK · 1991–2020

The date the last spring and first fall frost occur, by threshold and probability. A 90% date is later in spring — and earlier in fall — than a 10% date; the 50% · 32°F row is what most gardeners plan around. These are Buckeye’s own odds, recorded at LITCHFIELD PARK.

Frost-probability curves for BuckeyeProbability of the last spring frost and first fall frost by date at 32°F. The last spring frost is most likely around January 7 and the first fall frost around December 24, giving about 351 frost-free days.
Last spring frostFirst fall frostbold = 32°F · thin = 28°F / 36°F · dot = 50% date · band = 10–90% window
ThresholdSPRING 10%SPRING 50%SPRING 90%FALL 10%FALL 50%FALL 90%
36°FFeb 24Jan 31Jan 4Nov 24Dec 9Dec 28
32°FFeb 5Jan 7Dec 17Dec 6Dec 24Jan 16
28°FJan 22Jan 5Dec 21Dec 18Jan 4Jan 21

Download this table as CSV ↓ — every threshold and probability, plus this city’s planting-window dates.

What to plant now

TODAY · JULY 19

Nothing new to sow or transplant outdoors in the next few weeks — a seasonal lull. Check the full-year calendar below for the next window.

Add the next planting windows to your calendar (.ics) ↓

Full-year planting calendar

Start indoorsTransplantDirect sowFall sow

Each bar is the exact window to take a planting action in Buckeye, drawn to the day from the local frost dates. The dashed line is today.

Nearby weather stations

3 within 40 km · complete 32°F normals

When stations disagree by more than a few days, that spread is real microclimate variation — elevation, water, urban heat. Judge which station best matches your own yard.

LITCHFIELD PARK
Primary
27 km · 317 m elevation
SPRING
Jan 7
FALL
Dec 24
YOUNGTOWN
36 km · 346 m elevation
SPRING
Jan 20
FALL
Dec 15
WITTMANN 1SE
40 km · 513 m elevation
SPRING
Feb 5
FALL
Dec 11

Buckeye planting FAQ

When is the last spring frost in Buckeye, AZ?

Plan for the last spring frost in Buckeye around January 7 (the date it has a 50% chance of a 32°F freeze). Anything frost-sensitive should go out after it.

When is the first fall frost in Buckeye, AZ?

The first fall frost in Buckeye typically arrives around December 24 (50% probability at 32°F). Harvest or protect frost-sensitive crops before then.

What hardiness zone is Buckeye in?

Buckeye is in USDA hardiness zone 9b. In zone 9b, winters are mild — many tender perennials overwinter here.

How long is the growing season in Buckeye?

Buckeye has about 351 frost-free days — a long growing season — between the average last spring frost (January 7) and first fall frost (December 24).

When should I plant tomatoes in Buckeye?

For Buckeye, sow tomatoes indoors about November 12–November 26 and move the seedlings out around January 14, after the last spring frost.

Planting reminders

Never miss a window in Buckeye

An email when it’s time to start seeds, transplant, and sow — timed to Buckeye’s frost dates. Double opt-in, one-click unsubscribe, no spam.

Nearby cities

8 within reach

Frost dates recorded at LITCHFIELD PARK, 27 km from the city center · 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals · zone from the USDA/PRISM 2023 map. How we compute this.

Cite this page
BlissGarden. "When to Plant in Buckeye, AZ — Frost Dates & Zone 9b." Frost normals: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00024977. Retrieved from https://blissgarden.com/arizona/buckeye.