What USDA hardiness zone is Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI spans USDA hardiness zones 6a to 6b. 54% of its ZIP codes are zone 6b, so there is no single zone for the metro.

When is the last spring frost in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI?

The median last spring freeze runs April 19 – May 12 across the 28 NOAA weather stations serving Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI, from NOAA 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Half of years freeze later than the median.

Place guide

Planting zones in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

This metro spans USDA zones 6a to 6b, so there is no single zone for Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI and anyone who gives you one is rounding. 54% of its ZIP codes are zone 6b; the rest are not.

USDA zones 6a–6b 2 zones across 218 ZIP codes

ZIP codes 218 218 have a NOAA station within range

Weather stations 28 NOAA 1991–2020 normals, across 3,892 sq mi

Your ZIP code

Get the exact answer for your address

Everything above describes Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI is closing

Nothing in the 32-crop table still has time to mature here. The first fall freeze normally arrives October 5 – November 3 across the 28 NOAA stations serving this metro area .

Your next season already has a date

The first job of it is 🧅 Green Onions, start indoors, around February 22 – March 17 — counted back from a last spring freeze of April 19 – May 12 here.

Every spring date for your ZIP →

These are ranges across the whole metro area. The ZIP lookup above gives the dates from your own nearest station instead.

All 28 stations agreeAt least one station

Every one of the 28 NOAA stations serving this metro area counts May 12 – October 5 as growing season (146 days). Widening to any single station gives April 19 – November 3 (198 days).

That is a 52-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.

Which zone you are in depends where you are

Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI covers 2 hardiness zones. A guide that gives the metro one zone has picked whichever is largest and rounded everyone else into it — which is fine for the 54% in zone 6b and wrong for the other 46%. Here is the actual split.

Zone	ZIP codes	Share
6b	117	54%
6a	101	46%

Zones are published per ZIP code, so yours is exact even though the metro's is not. The hardiness tool will tell you which one you are in.

Your freeze dates

Last spring freeze April 19 – May 12

First fall freeze October 5 – November 3

Those are the earliest and latest medians among the 28 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 28 stations serving Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI it runs 147–196 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 76–84 °F , below the 90 °F point where cool-season crops reliably bolt. Summer rain over the same months runs 8.9–11.2" across those 27 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 77% 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 80 °F summer afternoon drying the soil faster than a cool one.

When to start seeds in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Every spring job for 63 crop dates, counted from this metro's own last spring freeze. Each is a range across all 28 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	February 22 – March 17	8 weeks before
Peppers	Start indoors	February 22 – March 17	8 weeks before
Broccoli	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Cabbage	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Collards	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Kale	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Leaf Lettuce	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Peas	Direct sow	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Spinach	Direct sow	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Sweet Potato	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Tomatoes	Start indoors	March 8 – March 31	6 weeks before
Bok Choy	Start indoors	March 15 – April 7	5 weeks before
Kohlrabi	Start indoors	March 15 – April 7	5 weeks before
Swiss Chard	Start indoors	March 15 – April 7	5 weeks before
Arugula	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Baby Salad Greens	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Beets	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Green Onions	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Mustard Greens	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Okra	Start indoors	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Radishes	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Turnips	Direct sow	March 22 – April 14	4 weeks before
Cabbage	Set out	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Carrots	Direct sow	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Collards	Direct sow	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Collards	Set out	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Cucumbers	Start indoors	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Green Onions	Set out	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Kale	Direct sow	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Kale	Set out	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Kohlrabi	Direct sow	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Kohlrabi	Set out	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Leaf Lettuce	Direct sow	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Pumpkins	Start indoors	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Summer Squash	Start indoors	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Winter Squash	Start indoors	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Zucchini	Start indoors	March 29 – April 21	3 weeks before
Bok Choy	Direct sow	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Bok Choy	Set out	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Broccoli	Set out	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Cilantro	Direct sow	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Leaf Lettuce	Set out	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Swiss Chard	Direct sow	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Swiss Chard	Set out	April 5 – April 28	2 weeks before
Dill	Direct sow	April 12 – May 5	1 week before
Bush Beans	Direct sow	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Cucumbers	Set out	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Pumpkins	Direct sow	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Pumpkins	Set out	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Summer Squash	Direct sow	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Summer Squash	Set out	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Sweet Corn	Direct sow	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Tomatoes	Set out	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Winter Squash	Direct sow	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Winter Squash	Set out	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Zucchini	Direct sow	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Zucchini	Set out	April 26 – May 19	1 week after
Cucumbers	Direct sow	May 3 – May 26	2 weeks after
Okra	Direct sow	May 3 – May 26	2 weeks after
Okra	Set out	May 3 – May 26	2 weeks after
Peppers	Set out	May 3 – May 26	2 weeks after
Southern Peas	Direct sow	May 3 – May 26	2 weeks after
Sweet Potato	Set out	May 3 – May 26	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 survives the winter changes across Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Of 74 perennial fruits, nuts, berries, vegetables and herbs, 51 come through the winter in every zone this metro covers.

Zone	ZIPs	Survive	Fail for being too warm
6a	101	51 of 74	0
6b	117	51 of 74	0

The last column is the counterintuitive one, and it is why the totals do not simply rise as the winters get milder. Most temperate fruit needs a documented number of hours below about 45 °F to break dormancy and set a crop, so an apple fails in a winter that is too warm; currants and rhubarb cook in the summer heat that comes with it. See the full list with reasons.

Cautious — shortens the seasonMedian across stationsOptimistic

Last spring freeze: Plan to May 26 to be careful. Median April 19 – May 12 across 28 stations; April 6 is the optimistic end.
First fall freeze: Plan to September 23 to be careful. Median October 5 – November 3 across 28 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 28 stations behind these numbers

All 28 NOAA stations whose normals this page quotes, spanning about 170 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
Algonac WWTP, MI	USC00200106	May 3	October 18	167 days
Ann Arbor U Of Mich, MI	USC00200230	May 3	October 13	160 days
Carleton 2W, MI	USC00201250	April 27	October 20	176 days
Caro WWTP, MI	USC00201299	May 7	October 9	154 days
Dearborn #2, MI	USC00202016	April 27	October 25	181 days
Dearborn, MI	USC00202015	May 1	October 15	166 days
Detroit City AP, MI	USW00014822	April 21	October 31	190 days
Detroit Metro AP, MI	USW00094847	April 20	October 27	188 days
Detroit Willow Run AP, MI	USW00014853	April 24	October 24	179 days
Farmington, MI	USC00202691	May 1	October 17	165 days
Goodrich, MI	USC00203278	May 1	October 14	164 days
Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	USC00203477	April 29	October 22	176 days
Hell, MI	USC00203712	April 30	October 14	166 days
Howell WWTP, MI	USC00203947	May 4	October 7	156 days
Lapeer 2W, MI	USC00204659	May 4	October 13	161 days
Lapeer WWTP, MI	USC00204655	May 4	October 14	160 days
Lexington Wtp, MI	USC00204808	May 4	October 24	171 days
Linden WWTP, MI	USC00204793	May 3	October 12	161 days
Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	USC00205452	May 6	October 12	157 days
Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	USW00014804	April 30	October 24	174 days
Newport 4Sse, MI	USC00205822	April 27	October 22	177 days
Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	USW00094817	April 29	October 20	172 days
Pontiac WWTP, MI	USC00206658	April 26	October 22	177 days
Port Huron, MI	USC00206680	April 19	November 3	196 days
Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	USC00206982	May 1	October 20	170 days
White Lake 4E, MI	USC00208941	May 10	October 6	148 days
Whitmore Lake 1Nw, MI	USC00208972	May 5	October 13	160 days
Yale 1 Nnw, MI	USC00209188	May 12	October 5	147 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 Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

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
48001	6b	Algonac WWTP, MI	4.1 km
48002	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	11.7 km
48003	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	20.7 km
48005	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	9.8 km
48006	6a	Yale 1 Nnw, MI	11.3 km
48009	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	11.0 km
48014	6a	Yale 1 Nnw, MI	16.9 km
48015	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	8.1 km
48017	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	14.3 km
48021	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	8.0 km
48022	6a	Yale 1 Nnw, MI	13.5 km
48023	6b	Algonac WWTP, MI	13.6 km
48025	6b	Farmington, MI	10.0 km
48026	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	13.1 km
48027	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	11.1 km
48028	6b	Algonac WWTP, MI	7.2 km
48030	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	9.3 km
48032	6a	Lexington Wtp, MI	15.4 km
48033	6b	Farmington, MI	5.7 km
48034	6b	Farmington, MI	6.7 km
48035	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	9.3 km
48036	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	7.9 km
48038	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	10.1 km
48039	6b	Algonac WWTP, MI	8.6 km
48040	6a	Port Huron, MI	8.7 km
48041	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	6.7 km
48042	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	11.2 km
48043	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	5.3 km
48044	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	10.2 km
48045	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	2.4 km
48047	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	8.1 km
48048	6a	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	14.6 km
48049	6a	Port Huron, MI	14.3 km
48050	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	10.1 km
48051	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	9.1 km
48054	6a	Algonac WWTP, MI	17.2 km
48059	6a	Port Huron, MI	13.8 km
48060	6b	Port Huron, MI	3.3 km
48062	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	2.9 km
48063	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	9.4 km
48064	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	16.4 km
48065	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	20.2 km
48066	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	11.8 km
48067	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	13.8 km
48069	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	13.0 km
48070	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	15.0 km
48071	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	13.3 km
48072	6b	Farmington, MI	14.9 km
48073	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	15.3 km
48074	6a	Port Huron, MI	11.9 km
48075	6b	Farmington, MI	10.9 km
48076	6b	Farmington, MI	11.3 km
48079	6a	Port Huron, MI	16.6 km
48080	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	6.4 km
48081	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	9.7 km
48082	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	10.6 km
48083	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	14.6 km
48084	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	10.9 km
48085	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	11.6 km
48088	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	12.1 km
48089	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	6.7 km
48091	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	7.7 km
48092	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	12.2 km
48093	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	11.9 km
48094	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	19.8 km
48095	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	23.0 km
48096	6a	Richmond 4 Nnw, MI	16.4 km
48097	6a	Yale 1 Nnw, MI	3.3 km
48098	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	7.8 km
48101	6b	Dearborn, MI	7.0 km
48111	6a	Detroit Willow Run AP, MI	6.7 km
48114	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	6.0 km
48116	6a	Whitmore Lake 1Nw, MI	7.8 km
48120	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	4.9 km
48122	6b	Dearborn, MI	6.4 km
48124	6b	Dearborn, MI	2.5 km
48125	6b	Dearborn, MI	5.2 km
48126	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	2.2 km
48127	6b	Dearborn, MI	4.2 km
48128	6b	Dearborn, MI	1.8 km
48134	6b	Carleton 2W, MI	12.5 km
48135	6b	Dearborn, MI	8.5 km
48137	6a	Hell, MI	8.4 km
48138	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	18.2 km
48139	6a	Whitmore Lake 1Nw, MI	2.8 km
48141	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	7.0 km
48143	6a	Whitmore Lake 1Nw, MI	6.2 km
48146	6b	Dearborn, MI	9.7 km
48150	6b	Farmington, MI	10.7 km
48152	6b	Farmington, MI	4.8 km
48154	6b	Farmington, MI	7.7 km
48164	6b	Carleton 2W, MI	8.2 km
48165	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	10.6 km
48167	6a	Farmington, MI	13.8 km
48168	6a	Ann Arbor U Of Mich, MI	15.6 km
48169	6a	Hell, MI	4.4 km
48170	6a	Ann Arbor U Of Mich, MI	13.2 km
48173	6b	Newport 4Sse, MI	14.9 km
48174	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	5.0 km
48178	6a	Whitmore Lake 1Nw, MI	10.4 km
48180	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	5.2 km
48183	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	14.5 km
48184	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	7.2 km
48185	6b	Dearborn, MI	12.1 km
48186	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	7.7 km
48187	6b	Detroit Willow Run AP, MI	11.0 km
48188	6a	Detroit Willow Run AP, MI	7.0 km
48192	6b	Dearborn, MI	13.8 km
48193	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	11.8 km
48195	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	10.7 km
48201	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	8.0 km
48202	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	6.8 km
48203	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	8.0 km
48204	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	3.3 km
48205	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	3.6 km
48206	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	6.3 km
48207	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	6.7 km
48208	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	6.7 km
48209	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	6.5 km
48210	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	3.9 km
48211	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	4.3 km
48212	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	3.8 km
48213	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	1.7 km
48214	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	5.2 km
48215	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	5.9 km
48216	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	8.1 km
48217	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	7.8 km
48218	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	9.2 km
48219	6b	Farmington, MI	10.2 km
48220	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	11.6 km
48221	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	9.1 km
48223	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	7.9 km
48224	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	4.3 km
48225	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	4.8 km
48226	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	9.2 km
48227	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	4.8 km
48228	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	3.8 km
48229	6b	Dearborn, MI	11.2 km
48230	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	3.9 km
48233	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	9.5 km
48234	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	3.4 km
48235	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	9.1 km
48236	6b	Grosse Pointe Farms, MI	1.7 km
48237	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	13.1 km
48238	6b	Dearborn #2, MI	6.1 km
48239	6b	Dearborn, MI	7.5 km
48240	6b	Farmington, MI	6.9 km
48242	6b	Detroit Metro AP, MI	2.9 km
48243	6b	Detroit City AP, MI	9.1 km
48301	6a	Farmington, MI	10.7 km
48302	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	7.5 km
48304	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	5.8 km
48306	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	13.0 km
48307	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	11.1 km
48309	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	6.0 km
48310	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	17.4 km
48312	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	16.6 km
48313	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	14.7 km
48314	6b	Pontiac WWTP, MI	16.8 km
48315	6b	Mt Clemens Ang Base, MI	16.3 km
48316	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	17.2 km
48317	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	16.7 km
48320	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	7.4 km
48322	6a	Farmington, MI	8.1 km
48323	6a	Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	11.0 km
48324	6a	Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	8.1 km
48326	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	5.6 km
48327	6a	Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	3.0 km
48328	6a	Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	4.8 km
48329	6a	Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	3.4 km
48331	6a	Farmington, MI	5.5 km
48334	6a	Farmington, MI	4.3 km
48335	6a	Farmington, MI	3.5 km
48336	6b	Farmington, MI	1.2 km
48340	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	4.5 km
48341	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	3.2 km
48342	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	1.7 km
48346	6a	White Lake 4E, MI	4.1 km
48348	6a	White Lake 4E, MI	9.6 km
48350	6a	White Lake 4E, MI	6.7 km
48353	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	7.8 km
48356	6a	White Lake 4E, MI	11.0 km
48357	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	9.3 km
48359	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	9.2 km
48360	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	12.1 km
48362	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	16.0 km
48363	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	16.7 km
48367	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	24.0 km
48370	6a	Pontiac WWTP, MI	23.0 km
48371	6a	Goodrich, MI	19.9 km
48374	6a	Farmington, MI	12.9 km
48375	6a	Farmington, MI	8.3 km
48377	6a	Farmington, MI	10.1 km
48380	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	1.5 km
48381	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	7.9 km
48382	6a	Pontiac Oakland Co INTL AP, MI	11.9 km
48383	6a	White Lake 4E, MI	6.5 km
48386	6a	White Lake 4E, MI	4.3 km
48390	6a	Farmington, MI	13.1 km
48393	6a	Milford Gm Proving Ground, MI	13.1 km
48412	6a	Lapeer WWTP, MI	10.8 km
48421	6a	Lapeer 2W, MI	11.1 km
48428	6a	Lapeer WWTP, MI	18.5 km
48430	6a	Linden WWTP, MI	8.2 km
48440	6a	Goodrich, MI	9.4 km
48442	6a	Goodrich, MI	14.8 km
48444	6a	Lapeer WWTP, MI	21.3 km
48446	6a	Lapeer 2W, MI	1.8 km
48455	6a	Lapeer WWTP, MI	13.5 km
48461	6a	Lapeer WWTP, MI	16.9 km
48462	6a	Goodrich, MI	10.4 km
48464	6a	Lapeer 2W, MI	17.6 km
48727	6a	Caro WWTP, MI	26.1 km
48760	6a	Caro WWTP, MI	21.6 km
48816	6a	Linden WWTP, MI	13.5 km
48836	6a	Howell WWTP, MI	14.5 km
48843	6a	Howell WWTP, MI	2.2 km
48855	6a	Howell WWTP, MI	10.1 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.

What survives my winter?
Runs on the hardiness zone, so it answers for all of Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI at once — zone 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 span exactly the same zones — 6a–6b — so the same plants are in and out of range across them. The freeze dates and the spring calendar are their own.

Gardening in Michigan — zones 4a– 7a covers the whole state: how its 991 ZIP codes divide between 7 hardiness zones, and the freeze dates across every NOAA station in it.

Other metro areas in MI:

Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI Zones 5b–7a
Lansing-East Lansing, MI Zone 6a
Traverse City, MI Zones 5a–6b
Flint, MI Zone 6a
Niles, MI Zones 6a–6b
Jackson, MI Zone 6a
Saginaw, MI Zone 6a
Kalamazoo-Portage, MI Zone 6a
Monroe, MI Zones 6a–6b
Ann Arbor, MI Zone 6a
Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI Zones 6a–6b
Battle Creek, MI Zone 6a

All 388 metro areas, by state

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

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.

All metro areas