Beatrice Vasey
    Free garden tool

    North West frost date finder

    Enter your postcode to see when the last spring frost and first autumn frost usually fall where you garden in Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and Cheshire, 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 North West

    Frost dates change a lot over short distances. The typical last frost in Alston is 61 days later than in Liverpool, so a planting date that suits Liverpool can lose plants in Alston.

    Map of the North West shaded by typical last spring frost date for each square kilometre.
    Manchester
    Liverpool
    Carlisle
    Preston
    Kendal
    Whitehaven
    Crewe

    Typical last spring frost

    • By 31 March
    • 1 to 15 April
    • 16 to 30 April
    • 1 to 15 May
    • After 15 May
    • Outside the North West
    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
    Liverpool17 March10 April22 November250
    Manchester20 March10 April20 November245
    Barrow-in-Furness21 March20 April23 November247
    Morecambe26 March16 April18 November237
    Whitehaven28 March17 April19 November236
    Stockport29 March18 April12 November228
    Lancaster6 April27 April18 November226
    Warrington6 April21 April9 November217
    Southport8 April4 May9 November215
    Blackpool10 April22 April9 November213
    Wigan11 April28 April7 November210
    Blackburn13 April4 May8 November209
    Carlisle15 April9 May1 November200
    Preston15 April5 May3 November202
    Bolton15 April28 April5 November204
    Burnley16 April6 May5 November203
    Clitheroe16 April5 May4 November202
    Oldham16 April5 May6 November204
    Macclesfield16 April14 May8 November206
    Chester17 April4 May6 November203
    Crewe20 April11 May3 November197
    Ambleside20 April13 May1 November195
    Kendal24 April18 May30 October189
    Keswick3 May15 May29 October179
    Penrith6 May19 May16 October163
    Alston17 May3 June13 October149

    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 North West?

    It depends on where you are. In Liverpool, tender plants are usually safe from 10 April, but in Alston you need to wait until 3 June. 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 North West?

    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)