Place guide
Planting zones in Alexandria, LA
Every ZIP code in this metro is USDA zone 9a. That is unusual — most metros span several zones — and it means the one number people usually look up is the same wherever you are here.
Your ZIP code
Get the exact answer for your address
Everything above describes Alexandria, LA 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.
Alexandria, LA does not have one planting answer
Its own weather stations disagree about 23 of the 32 crops in this table right now, so any single list would be wrong for part of the metro area. That is not a gap in the data — it is what the data says.
- Shortest season
- 239 days
ALEXANDRIA ESLER RGNL AP, LA US (USW00013935) - Longest season
- 275 days
NATCHITOCHES, LA US (USC00166582)
36 days of growing season separate those two stations, and both serve ZIP codes in Alexandria, LA. The ZIP lookup above answers for one address instead of averaging a place that has no average.
Why the hardiness zone does not settle this
A USDA zone is a winter-minimum statistic. It was never a growing-season one, and it does not behave like one: within a single zone the growing season runs a median 54 days wider at the 10th–90th percentile, and annual growing degree days vary by 2.02×.
The zones also overlap rather than stack — 30% of zone 6b freezes before the median zone 6a station. The zone tells you what survives your winter; the station tells you what finishes before your autumn.
All 11 stations agreeAt least one station
Every one of the 11 NOAA stations serving this metro area counts March 16 – November 8 as growing season (237 days). Widening to any single station gives February 27 – December 1 (277 days).
That is a 40-day difference inside one metro area — which is why this page gives ranges rather than a single planting date. The ZIP lookup above resolves it to one station.
Your freeze dates
Those are the earliest and latest medians among the 11 stations serving this metro — not an average, and not one station standing in for the rest. Half of years freeze later than a station's own median.
The spread is the point. Even in a metro that is one hardiness zone throughout, its stations disagree about the last spring freeze. Hardiness zone and frost date measure different things — a zone is the average annual coldest night, a freeze date is when the season turns — and a place can be uniform in one and varied in the other. Use the tools below with your own ZIP rather than the ends of this range.
Your growing season
NOAA publishes a growing-season length for each station, and across the 11 stations serving Alexandria, LA it runs 239–275 days . That figure is published, not computed from the two freeze dates — subtracting one from the other gives the wrong answer wherever a season crosses New Year. Mean summer high (June–August) runs 88–95 °F , at or above the 90 °F point where cool-season crops bolt and tomato and pepper pollen fails — so midsummer sowings of lettuce and its relatives are worth holding here. Summer rain over the same months runs 12.0–14.3" across those 11 stations, against the rough inch a week — about 13 inches over the same 92 days — that a vegetable garden is usually reckoned to want. At the middle station that is covered, so watering in Alexandria, LA is for the gaps between storms rather than the whole season. The inches are NOAA's published normals; the inch a week is a rule of thumb, and it takes no account of a 92 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.
When to start seeds in Alexandria, LA
Every spring job for 63 crop dates, counted from this metro's own last spring freeze. Each is a range across all 11 stations — the earliest and latest that job falls anywhere in the metro — because no one station speaks for the whole area.
| Crop | Job | When | Offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Onions | Start indoors | January 2 – January 19 | 8 weeks before |
| Peppers | Start indoors | January 2 – January 19 | 8 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Collards | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Kale | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Peas | Direct sow | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Spinach | Direct sow | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Sweet Potato | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Tomatoes | Start indoors | January 16 – February 2 | 6 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Start indoors | January 23 – February 9 | 5 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Start indoors | January 23 – February 9 | 5 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Start indoors | January 23 – February 9 | 5 weeks before |
| Arugula | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Baby Salad Greens | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Beets | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Mustard Greens | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Okra | Start indoors | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Radishes | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Turnips | Direct sow | January 30 – February 16 | 4 weeks before |
| Cabbage | Set out | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Carrots | Direct sow | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Direct sow | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Collards | Set out | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Cucumbers | Start indoors | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Green Onions | Set out | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Direct sow | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Kale | Set out | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Direct sow | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Kohlrabi | Set out | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Direct sow | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Pumpkins | Start indoors | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Summer Squash | Start indoors | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Winter Squash | Start indoors | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Zucchini | Start indoors | February 6 – February 23 | 3 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Direct sow | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Bok Choy | Set out | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Broccoli | Set out | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Cilantro | Direct sow | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Leaf Lettuce | Set out | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Direct sow | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Swiss Chard | Set out | February 13 – March 2 | 2 weeks before |
| Dill | Direct sow | February 20 – March 9 | 1 week before |
| Bush Beans | Direct sow | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Set out | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Direct sow | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Pumpkins | Set out | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Direct sow | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Summer Squash | Set out | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Sweet Corn | Direct sow | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Tomatoes | Set out | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Direct sow | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Winter Squash | Set out | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Direct sow | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Zucchini | Set out | March 6 – March 23 | 1 week after |
| Cucumbers | Direct sow | March 13 – March 30 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Direct sow | March 13 – March 30 | 2 weeks after |
| Okra | Set out | March 13 – March 30 | 2 weeks after |
| Peppers | Set out | March 13 – March 30 | 2 weeks after |
| Southern Peas | Direct sow | March 13 – March 30 | 2 weeks after |
| Sweet Potato | Set out | March 13 – March 30 | 2 weeks after |
The week offsets are conventional extension guidance and vary by variety; the freeze dates they are counted from are measured. For a single date rather than a range, run when do I start my seeds? with your own ZIP code.
What lives through a zone 9a winter
Winter hardiness runs on the zone alone, so this one is exact for the whole of Alexandria, LA rather than a range. Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 46 come through a zone 9a winter — and 25 of the failures are not about cold at all, but about winters too mild to break dormancy or summers too hot.
Among them: Elderberry, Horseradish, Sunchoke, Walking Onion, Chives, Mint, American Persimmon, European Plum. See the full list with reasons.
Cautious — shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic
- Last spring freeze
- Plan to April 6 to be careful. Median February 27 – March 16 across 11 stations; January 31 is the optimistic end.
- First fall freeze
- Plan to October 26 to be careful. Median November 8 – December 1 across 11 stations; December 26 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 11 stations behind these numbers
All 11 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 123 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 metro area.
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.
Every figure above comes from these, and each is named so you can check it. Which station serves a given ZIP code, and how far away it is, varies across the metro — the table below gives it per ZIP code rather than this page averaging it.
| Station | NOAA ID | Last spring freeze | First fall freeze | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria 5 Sse, LA | USC00160103 | March 3 | November 22 | 263 days |
| Alexandria Esler Rgnl AP, LA | USW00013935 | March 16 | November 8 | 239 days |
| Alexandria INTL AP, LA | USW00093915 | March 2 | November 17 | 260 days |
| Alexandria, LA | USC00160098 | February 27 | November 27 | 274 days |
| Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | USC00161232 | March 2 | November 27 | 271 days |
| Bunkie, LA | USC00161287 | February 28 | November 24 | 270 days |
| Elizabeth, LA | USC00162800 | March 3 | November 25 | 268 days |
| Ft Polk Fullerton Lndg Strip, LA | USW00053988 | March 1 | November 23 | 268 days |
| Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, LA | USC00165630 | March 1 | November 22 | 267 days |
| Natchitoches, LA | USC00166582 | February 28 | December 1 | 275 days |
| Winnfield 3 N, LA | USC00169803 | March 13 | November 10 | 242 days |
These are medians, not averages — NOAA publishes freeze dates as a probability distribution, and half of years freeze later than the date shown.
Every ZIP code in Alexandria, LA
Zones are published per ZIP code, not per metro area, so this is the exact answer rather than the metro area'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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71301 | 9a | Alexandria 5 Sse, LA | 3.3 km |
| 71302 | 9a | Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, LA | 4.4 km |
| 71303 | 9a | Alexandria INTL AP, LA | 6.0 km |
| 71325 | 9a | Bunkie, LA | 16.3 km |
| 71328 | 9a | Alexandria Esler Rgnl AP, LA | 10.9 km |
| 71330 | 9a | Bunkie, LA | 17.8 km |
| 71346 | 9a | Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, LA | 7.5 km |
| 71359 | 9a | Alexandria, LA | 3.3 km |
| 71360 | 9a | Alexandria Esler Rgnl AP, LA | 9.4 km |
| 71405 | 9a | Alexandria Esler Rgnl AP, LA | 10.2 km |
| 71407 | 9a | Alexandria INTL AP, LA | 21.4 km |
| 71409 | 9a | Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | 9.7 km |
| 71417 | 9a | Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | 14.2 km |
| 71423 | 9a | Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | 27.9 km |
| 71424 | 9a | Alexandria INTL AP, LA | 21.7 km |
| 71427 | 9a | Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | 16.6 km |
| 71430 | 9a | Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, LA | 16.6 km |
| 71432 | 9a | Winnfield 3 N, LA | 29.6 km |
| 71433 | 9a | Elizabeth, LA | 21.7 km |
| 71447 | 9a | Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | 9.1 km |
| 71454 | 9a | Natchitoches, LA | 24.2 km |
| 71466 | 9a | Boyce 3 Wnw, LA | 20.1 km |
| 71467 | 9a | Alexandria Esler Rgnl AP, LA | 20.9 km |
| 71472 | 9a | Ft Polk Fullerton Lndg Strip, LA | 17.2 km |
| 71485 | 9a | Lsu Dean Lee Rsch Stn, LA | 10.4 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.
Your own ZIP
Work out your own dates
Each of these takes a ZIP code and answers for that ZIP alone, citing the station it used and how far away it is. There is a ZIP box in the header of every page.
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What survives my winter?
Runs on the hardiness zone, so it answers for all of Alexandria, LA at once — zone 9a across 74 perennial fruits, berries, vegetables and herbs.
- When do I start my seeds?
Dates every spring job from your own last freeze — sow indoors, set out, direct sow.
- When do I sow the next round?
How often each crop is worth re-sowing, and when the next sowing is due.
- What can I still plant?
Counts the growing days left before your first fall freeze, crop by crop.
Other places to compare
These metros are also entirely zone 9a, so the winter answer here is the same one they get — the freeze dates and the spring calendar are their own.
- Valdosta, GA — zone 9a
- Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA — zone 9a
- Brunswick-St. Simons, GA — zone 9a
- Hinesville, GA — zone 9a
- Eagle Pass, TX — zone 9a
- Tallahassee, FL — zone 9a
Gardening in Louisiana — zones 8b– 10a covers the whole state: how its 534 ZIP codes divide between 4 hardiness zones, and the freeze dates across every NOAA station in it.
Other metro areas in LA:
- Lake Charles, LA Zones 9a–9b
- Monroe, LA Zone 8b
- Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA Zones 9b–10a
- Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA Zone 9a
- Hammond, LA Zones 8b–9a
- Baton Rouge, LA Zones 9a–9b
- New Orleans-Metairie, LA Zones 9a–10a
- Shreveport-Bossier City, LA Zone 8b
- Lafayette, LA Zones 9a–9b
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.
- Shade clothSummer highs here average 92 °F, at or above the 90 °F point where lettuce and spinach bolt and tomato pollen fails.
- 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.
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
The hardiness zone is the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, published per ZIP code by PRISM at Oregon State. The freeze dates are NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals, read from every station whose normals cover a ZIP code in this metro. Nothing here is estimated, and no station stands in for another.
This page names no single station on purpose. Picking one to represent a metro sounds reasonable and is not: the station serving the most ZIP codes is an artifact of where ZIP centroids happen to fall, and it selects a lock on the Monongahela for Pittsburgh and a far southern suburb for Chicago. A range across every station is true; a single cited date for a whole metro is not.