Beatrice Vasey
    Free garden tool

    East of England frost date finder

    Enter your postcode to see when the last spring frost and first autumn frost usually fall where you garden in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, worked out from 30 years of Met Office records for your square kilometre. Use it to decide when to sow, when it's safe to plant out, and when to bring tender plants in.

    Last frost dates across the East of England

    Frost dates change a lot over short distances. The typical last frost in Thetford is 54 days later than in Cromer, so a planting date that suits Cromer can lose plants in Thetford.

    Map of the East of England shaded by typical last spring frost date for each square kilometre.
    Norwich
    Cambridge
    Ipswich
    Peterborough
    Southend-on-Sea
    Hunstanton
    St Albans

    Typical last spring frost

    • By 31 March
    • 1 to 15 April
    • 16 to 30 April
    • 1 to 15 May
    • After 15 May
    • Outside the East of England
    Each square is 1 km. Hover over the map to see the dates for any square. Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright. Region boundaries: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence; contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2023.
    TownTypical last frostSafe to plant outTypical first autumn frostFrost-free days
    Cromer11 March14 April7 December271
    Felixstowe23 March14 April7 December259
    Southend-on-Sea23 March21 April22 November244
    Clacton-on-Sea23 March15 April30 November252
    Great Yarmouth27 March21 April4 December252
    Lowestoft27 March21 April28 November246
    Hunstanton30 March20 April23 November238
    Southwold5 April20 April4 December243
    Ipswich9 April27 April16 November221
    Colchester13 April7 May8 November209
    Norwich14 April4 May14 November214
    Bury St Edmunds14 April9 May14 November214
    King's Lynn15 April6 May10 November209
    Harlow15 April10 May8 November207
    Hertford15 April7 May6 November205
    Luton15 April7 May8 November207
    Wisbech15 April7 May6 November205
    Peterborough16 April9 May9 November207
    Ely16 April12 May5 November203
    Huntingdon16 April9 May11 November209
    St Albans16 April9 May8 November206
    Stevenage16 April9 May7 November205
    Bedford16 April11 May6 November204
    Cambridge20 April14 May29 October192
    Chelmsford20 April15 May28 October191
    Thetford4 May16 May22 October171

    Figures for the square kilometre at each town centre, 1991 to 2020. Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright.

    How to use your frost dates

    Hardy seeds outsideSow broad beans, peas, carrots and other hardy crops from around your typical last frost date, once the soil has warmed.
    Tender plants indoorsStart tomatoes, peppers and squash indoors six to eight weeks before your safe-to-plant-out date.
    Hardening offPut young plants out during the day for a week or two before your safe date, and bring them in at night.
    Planting outPlant tender crops and bedding after your safe date, and keep fleece handy for a late cold snap.
    AutumnLift dahlias, bring in tender pots and pick the last tomatoes before your 1-in-10 early frost date.

    Not sure what will cope with your frost dates? I'm a horticulturist trained at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and I draw planting plans for gardens anywhere in the UK, choosing plants for your soil, your light and the frosts you get.

    Frost dates in other regions

    RegionEarliest last frostLatest last frost
    North East22 March in Whitley Bay21 May in Kielder
    North West17 March in Liverpool17 May in Alston
    Yorkshire and the Humber3 March in Scarborough8 May in Hawes
    East Midlands24 March in Skegness25 April in Buxton
    West Midlands10 April in Coventry25 April in Ludlow
    East of England11 March in Cromer4 May in Thetford
    London1 March in Westminster14 April in Orpington
    South East22 February in Margate5 May in Dorking
    South West23 February in Newquay19 April in Cirencester

    Frost date questions

    When is it safe to plant out in the East of England?

    It depends on where you are. In Cromer, tender plants are usually safe from 14 April, but in Thetford you need to wait until 16 May. Put your postcode into the finder above and use the "safe to plant out" date, which only 1 year in 10 beats.

    Why are these dates different from the ones on seed packets?

    Seed packets and national charts give one date for the whole country, but frost dates can differ by weeks between the coast, towns, valleys and higher ground. These dates come from frost records for your own square kilometre.

    What's the difference between an air frost and a ground frost?

    An air frost is when the air at 1.5 m drops below 0°C, which is what these dates measure. A ground frost forms on grass and soil, and on clear, still nights it can happen when the air is still a degree or two above freezing. Low-growing seedlings feel ground frosts first, so give them an extra week or two of protection.

    Where does the data come from?

    The dates are worked out from the Met Office's HadUK-Grid daily minimum temperatures on a 1 km grid for 1991 to 2020, the standard 30-year climate period. For every square kilometre, we found the last night below freezing each spring and the first each autumn, then took the typical date and the 1-in-10 late date across the 30 years. We checked the results against the Met Office's own weather station records.

    Does the finder work outside the East of England?

    Yes. It works for any postcode in England, and the frost map of England compares every region.

    Can I use these figures in an article, newsletter or allotment notice?

    Yes. Please credit Beatrice Vasey and link to this page, and include "Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright" for the underlying records.

    Sources (6)