Beatrice Vasey
    Free garden tool

    South East frost date finder

    Enter your postcode to see when the last spring frost and first autumn frost usually fall where you garden in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, 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 South East

    Frost dates change a lot over short distances. The typical last frost in Dorking is 72 days later than in Margate, so a planting date that suits Margate can lose plants in Dorking.

    Map of the South East shaded by typical last spring frost date for each square kilometre.
    Brighton
    Oxford
    Southampton
    Canterbury
    Guildford
    Hastings
    Milton Keynes

    Typical last spring frost

    • By 31 March
    • 1 to 15 April
    • 16 to 30 April
    • 1 to 15 May
    • After 15 May
    • Outside the South East
    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
    Margate22 February9 April13 December294
    Eastbourne2 March9 April8 December281
    Portsmouth2 March7 April6 December279
    Hastings5 March10 April8 December278
    Dover7 March9 April8 December276
    Brighton14 March11 April3 December264
    Worthing25 March16 April21 November241
    Southampton28 March16 April14 November231
    Newport29 March19 April19 November235
    Canterbury5 April21 April16 November225
    Oxford6 April28 April10 November218
    Chichester12 April28 April6 November208
    Reading13 April28 April7 November208
    High Wycombe13 April28 April6 November207
    Maidstone13 April10 May5 November206
    Winchester15 April7 May5 November204
    Petersfield15 April11 May6 November205
    Basingstoke16 April11 May4 November202
    Milton Keynes16 April9 May6 November204
    Aylesbury16 April11 May5 November203
    Crawley16 April11 May30 October197
    Horsham16 April11 May4 November202
    Tunbridge Wells16 April11 May3 November201
    Guildford18 April10 May27 October192
    Banbury2 May15 May25 October176
    Dorking5 May16 May21 October169

    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 South East?

    It depends on where you are. In Portsmouth, tender plants are usually safe from 7 April, but in Dorking 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 South East?

    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)