Arizona
Planting zones in Apache County, Arizona
This county spans USDA zones 6a to 7a, so there is no single zone for Apache County and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 45% of its ZIP codes are zone 6b; the rest are not.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Apache County, Arizona as a whole. Hardiness zones and freeze dates are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact — enter it and this page will tell you your zone, which NOAA station it comes from and how far away that station is.
The growing season in Apache County is closing
Nothing in the 32-crop table still has time to mature here. The first fall freeze normally arrives September 21 – November 1 across the 15 NOAA stations serving this county .
Your next season already has a date
The first job of it is 🧅 Green Onions, start indoors, around February 13 – April 20 — counted back from a last spring freeze of April 10 – June 15 here.
These are ranges across the whole county. The ZIP lookup above gives the dates from your own nearest station instead.
All 15 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 15 NOAA stations serving this county counts June 15 – September 21 as growing season (98 days). Widening to any single station gives April 10 – November 1 (205 days).
That is a 107-day difference inside one county — which is why this page gives ranges rather than a single planting date. The ZIP lookup above resolves it to one station.
Which zone you are in depends where you are
Apache County covers 3 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the county one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — fine for the 45% in zone 6b and wrong for the other 55%. Here is the actual split.
| Zone | ZIP codes | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6b | 13 | 45% | |
| 7a | 13 | 45% | |
| 6a | 3 | 10% |
Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the county's is not. The hardiness tool will tell you which one you are in.
Your freeze dates
Across the 15 NOAA stations serving this county. These are medians — half of years freeze later than the date shown — so treat the later end of each range as the cautious one.
The growing season runs 96–205 days depending which station you are nearest, as published by NOAA rather than computed from the dates above. Summer highs average 75.1–92.3 °F in June–August. That is past the point where tomato and pepper pollen fails and cool-season greens bolt, so in this county heat decides as much as frost does. Summer rain over the same months runs 2.6–9.3" across those 10 stations, against the rough inch a week — about 13 inches over the same 92 days — that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. The middle station covers about 31% of it, so expect to make up the rest. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 87 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
Every ZIP code in Apache County
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per county, so this is the exact answer rather than the county's average. The station column is the nearest one to that ZIP code's centroid and how far away it is — the same figure the tools use, shown here so you can see which ZIP codes are well covered and which are reaching.
| ZIP code | USDA zone | Nearest NOAA station | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 85920 | 6b | Alpine, AZ | 3.1 km |
| 85924 | 7a | Saint Johns, AZ | 25.3 km |
| 85925 | 6a | Greer, AZ | 9.2 km |
| 85927 | 6a | Greer, AZ | 4.3 km |
| 85930 | 6b | Mc Nary 2N, AZ | 12.0 km |
| 85932 | 6b | Alpine, AZ | 13.7 km |
| 85936 | 6b | St Johns Industrial AP, AZ | 11.5 km |
| 85938 | 6b | Springerville, AZ | 13.3 km |
| 85940 | 6b | Mc Nary 2N, AZ | 21.1 km |
| 86028 | 7a | Painted Desert Np, AZ | 5.8 km |
| 86502 | 7a | Painted Desert Np, AZ | 16.7 km |
| 86503 | 7a | Canyon De Chelly, AZ | 14.7 km |
| 86504 | 6b | Window Rock AP, AZ | 23.6 km |
| 86505 | 6b | Ganado, AZ | 16.8 km |
| 86506 | 6b | Sanders, AZ | 15.6 km |
| 86507 | 7a | Lukachukai, AZ | 5.1 km |
| 86508 | 6b | Sanders, AZ | 25.7 km |
| 86511 | 6a | Ganado, AZ | 17.1 km |
| 86512 | 6b | Sanders, AZ | 16.0 km |
| 86514 | 7a | Teec Nos Pos, AZ | 21.1 km |
| 86520 | 7a | Keams Canyon, AZ | 32.8 km |
| 86535 | 7a | Monument Valley, AZ | 28.9 km |
| 86538 | 7a | Canyon De Chelly, AZ | 31.0 km |
| 86540 | 6b | Canyon De Chelly, AZ | 25.1 km |
| 86544 | 7a | Lukachukai, AZ | 15.8 km |
| 86545 | 7a | Lukachukai, AZ | 43.5 km |
| 86547 | 7a | Lukachukai, AZ | 26.4 km |
| 86556 | 7a | Lukachukai, AZ | 21.2 km |
| 87328 | 6b | Window Rock AP, AZ | 41.5 km |
ZIP-code positions are area centroids, so a large rural ZIP code's listed distance is measured from the middle of its area rather than from any particular address in it.
When to start seeds in Apache County
Every date below is anchored on the last spring freeze at each station and reported as a range across all 15 of them, because no one station speaks for the county.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧅 Green Onions | Start indoors | February 13 – April 20 | 8 wk before |
| 🌶️ Peppers | Start indoors | February 13 – April 20 | 8 wk before |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Collards | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Kale | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🫛 Peas | Direct sow | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Spinach | Direct sow | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🍠 Sweet Potato | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Start indoors | February 27 – May 4 | 6 wk before |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | Start indoors | March 6 – May 11 | 5 wk before |
| 🥬 Kohlrabi | Start indoors | March 6 – May 11 | 5 wk before |
| 🥬 Swiss Chard | Start indoors | March 6 – May 11 | 5 wk before |
| 🥬 Arugula | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🥬 Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🥕 Beets | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🧅 Green Onions | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🥬 Mustard Greens | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🌶️ Okra | Start indoors | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🌱 Radishes | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🥔 Turnips | Direct sow | March 13 – May 18 | 4 wk before |
| 🥬 Cabbage | Set out | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥕 Carrots | Direct sow | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Collards | Direct sow | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Collards | Set out | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Start indoors | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🧅 Green Onions | Set out | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kale | Direct sow | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kale | Set out | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kohlrabi | Direct sow | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Kohlrabi | Set out | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🎃 Pumpkins | Start indoors | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🎃 Summer Squash | Start indoors | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🎃 Winter Squash | Start indoors | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Start indoors | March 20 – May 25 | 3 wk before |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | Direct sow | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Bok Choy | Set out | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🥦 Broccoli | Set out | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🌿 Cilantro | Direct sow | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Leaf Lettuce | Set out | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Swiss Chard | Direct sow | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🥬 Swiss Chard | Set out | March 27 – June 1 | 2 wk before |
| 🌿 Dill | Direct sow | April 3 – June 8 | 1 wk before |
| 🫘 Bush Beans | Direct sow | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Set out | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Pumpkins | Direct sow | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Pumpkins | Set out | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Summer Squash | Direct sow | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Summer Squash | Set out | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🌽 Sweet Corn | Direct sow | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🍅 Tomatoes | Set out | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Winter Squash | Direct sow | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🎃 Winter Squash | Set out | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Direct sow | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Zucchini | Set out | April 17 – June 22 | 1 wk after |
| 🥒 Cucumbers | Direct sow | April 24 – June 29 | 2 wk after |
| 🌶️ Okra | Direct sow | April 24 – June 29 | 2 wk after |
| 🌶️ Okra | Set out | April 24 – June 29 | 2 wk after |
| 🌶️ Peppers | Set out | April 24 – June 29 | 2 wk after |
| 🫘 Southern Peas | Direct sow | April 24 – June 29 | 2 wk after |
| 🍠 Sweet Potato | Set out | April 24 – June 29 | 2 wk after |
Offsets are published guidance; the dates they land on are computed from measured NOAA normals. The seed-starting tool does this for your own ZIP code and counts the days.
What survives the winter changes across Apache County
Zone 7a carries 58 of 74 perennial edibles; zone 6a carries 51. The best number is not always the warmest zone — the count peaks in the middle and falls both ways, because the warm end loses plants to insufficient winter chill and summer heat, not to cold.
Hardiness ranges are a judgement, published by growers rather than measured; the zone they are compared against is measured. On a warm-end verdict, check with your local extension service — a coastal zone 8 and an inland zone 8 are not the same summer.
Cautious — shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic
- Last spring freeze
- Plan to June 30 to be careful. Median April 10 – June 15 across 15 stations; March 20 is the optimistic end.
- First fall freeze
- Plan to September 7 to be careful. Median September 21 – November 1 across 15 stations; November 16 is the optimistic end.
NOAA publishes these as probabilities, not averages — the middle figure is a median, so half of years fall either side of it. The cautious end is the 10% tail: in roughly nine years in ten the freeze falls on the safe side of it.
The 15 stations behind these numbers
All 15 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 348 km north to south. Every one is named with its identifier in the station list below — this page does not single one out, because no one station speaks for a whole county.
A relative sketch, not a map with a projection: longitude is adjusted for latitude so the shape is not stretched, and there is no basemap. For the one station nearest a specific address, with its real distance, use the ZIP lookup above.
These are the stations this county's ZIP codes actually cite as nearest — not a claim that each one sits inside its boundary, since a rural ZIP legitimately reaches over it. Every figure above comes from them, and each is named so you can check it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpine, AZ | USC00020159 | June 15 | September 21 | 96 days |
| Canyon De Chelly, AZ | USC00021248 | May 6 | October 8 | 153 days |
| Ganado, AZ | USC00023303 | May 15 | October 10 | 147 days |
| Greer, AZ | USC00023683 | June 5 | September 29 | 113 days |
| Keams Canyon, AZ | USC00024586 | May 16 | October 10 | 147 days |
| Lukachukai, AZ | USC00025129 | May 3 | October 17 | 163 days |
| Mc Nary 2N, AZ | USC00025412 | May 20 | October 11 | 142 days |
| Monument Valley, AZ | USC00025665 | April 10 | November 1 | 205 days |
| Painted Desert Np, AZ | USC00026190 | May 1 | October 20 | 169 days |
| Saint Johns, AZ | USC00027435 | May 2 | October 14 | 164 days |
| Sanders, AZ | USC00027488 | May 22 | October 8 | 138 days |
| Springerville, AZ | USC00028162 | June 1 | September 26 | 114 days |
| St Johns Industrial AP, AZ | USW00093027 | May 3 | October 10 | 160 days |
| Teec Nos Pos, AZ | USC00028468 | April 11 | November 1 | 200 days |
| Window Rock AP, AZ | USW00003029 | May 29 | September 28 | 121 days |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
This page describes a whole county. Every tool below answers for one ZIP code, which is the grain the underlying data is published at.
Other places to compare
Apache County sits in Arizona. That page carries the whole state's zone spread, its metro areas, and every other county in it with a page here.
More of Arizona
- Navajo County, AZ 6b–7b
- Gila County, AZ 7a, 8a, 8b, 9a
- Graham County, AZ 8b–9a
- La Paz County, AZ 9a–9b
- Santa Cruz County, AZ 8a–8b
Counties with the same zones — 6a–7a
Matched on the exact zone set, not a dominant zone, so the winter answer on these pages really is the same one as here.
Gear
If you want to act on this
Each link opens an Amazon search rather than a product we picked. We have not tested these and do not rank them — the search is the honest version, and you choose.
- Trunk wrapZone 6a is cold enough that winter sun on a young trunk does more damage than the cold does.
- Row cover and frost clothThe season here closes at the first fall freeze dated above — a cover buys back some of those days at the end.
- MulchFor the perennials nearest their cold limit in zone 6a, where an insulated crown is what decides whether they come back.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. That costs you nothing extra, and it buys no influence over anything on this site: the dates come from NOAA normals and the zones from the USDA, and no product affects either.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
Hardiness zones are the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. Freeze dates and growing-season lengths are NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, taken per station and cited above by name and NOAA ID.
County boundaries come from the Census ZCTA-to-county relation, which is what places each ZIP code — and which treats parishes, boroughs and census areas as county equivalents. No station is chosen to represent this county: every range above is taken across all of them and the count is stated, because picking one would be a judgement dressed as a measurement.