Very Hardy
16 plants · Handles repeated frost. Can usually stay out through winter.
Kale, Chives, Leek, Brussels Sprouts, Bee Balm, Daisy, Shasta, Dandelion, Echinacea, Currant, Pear, Raspberry, Rye, Asparagus, Rhubarb and 2 more
Frost & Hardiness
Frost — what survives it, and what does not.
Frost is the one weather event that ends a crop overnight rather than gradually. The useful thing is that hardiness is predictable: plants fall into fairly clear groups, and once you know which group a crop is in you know whether it can stay out.
Three groups, roughly
Tender crops are killed or badly damaged by frost. Tomatoes, capsicum, beans, cucurbits and basil belong here — they need frost-free weather and warm soil, and there is no protecting them through a hard freeze in the open ground.
Hardy crops tolerate light frost, and several genuinely improve after one. Cold converts starches to sugars in a number of root and brassica crops, which is why parsnips and kale are often said to taste better after the first frost.
Very hardy crops handle repeated frost and can usually stay in the ground through winter, which makes them the basis of a productive cold-season garden rather than an empty one.
Frost tolerance across the encyclopedia
Grouped by the hardiness recorded for each crop. The tender group is the one to plan around, because those are the plantings that a single unexpected frost will end.
Hardy
105 plants · Tolerates light frost, often improving in flavour after one.
Peas, Snow Pea, Broad Bean, Carrot, Beetroot, Radish, Onion, Spring Onion, Garlic, Lettuce, Spinach, Broccoli, Cabbage, Silverbeet and 91 more
Tender
92 plants · Damaged or killed by frost. Needs warm soil and frost-free weather.
Tomato, Capsicum, Chilli Pepper, Eggplant, Cucumber, Zucchini, Pumpkin, Corn, Beans, Potato, Basil, Sunflower, Marigold, Nasturtium and 78 more
Varies
1 plants · Depends on variety — check the individual plant guide.
Hardiness varies by variety as well as species, and a plant's age matters — a mature crop generally takes more cold than a seedling of the same type.
Working with frost rather than against it
Know your first frost date
Everything else follows from it. Count backwards by a crop's days-to-harvest to find the last sensible sowing date, rather than sowing hopefully and finding out in autumn.
Frost pools in low ground
Cold air sinks, so the bottom of a slope frosts before the top and a spot against a wall often escapes entirely. Two beds in one garden can behave quite differently.
Protection buys degrees, not immunity
Cloches, fleece and mulch shift the margin by a small amount, which is often enough for a borderline night. None of it saves a tender crop from a hard freeze.
Planning around the cold
Find your frost windowApproximate first and last frost dates for your area.
Sort crops by hardinessTender crops must fit between the two; hardy ones need not.
Work backwardsLast sowing date equals first frost minus days to harvest, plus a margin.
Fill winter with hardy cropsA cold-season bed of brassicas and roots keeps producing.
Record what actually happenedLocal frost behaviour differs from any regional average.
Watch the sowing windows
Sowing windows already account for frost in your climate zone. The planting calendar shows what is safe to sow now.
Stop succession sowing in time
The last round of a staggered sowing is the one frost catches — see the succession sowing guide.
Containers freeze faster
A pot has no surrounding soil to buffer it, so roots chill harder than in a bed — see the small space guide.
FAQ
Common questions from home gardeners.
Which vegetables survive frost?
Many brassicas and root crops tolerate frost, and some improve after one as cold converts starches to sugars. Kale, parsnips, leeks, broad beans and winter brassicas are typical examples. Each plant guide records a hardiness rating.
Which vegetables are killed by frost?
Tender crops — tomatoes, capsicum, chilli, beans, cucurbits such as pumpkin and zucchini, and soft herbs like basil. These need frost-free weather and warm soil, and cannot be carried through a hard freeze outdoors.
Does frost really improve the flavour of some vegetables?
For several crops, yes. Cold prompts some plants to convert stored starch to sugar, which is why parsnips, kale and some brassicas are often described as sweeter after the first frost.
How do I protect plants from frost?
Cloches, horticultural fleece and mulch all buy a small margin, which is frequently enough for a borderline night. Watering the soil beforehand also helps, since damp soil holds more heat than dry. None of it protects a tender crop from a hard freeze.
When is my last frost?
It varies by locality and year, and local conditions matter as much as regional averages — cold air pools in low ground, and a wall can shelter a bed entirely. Your own records over a couple of seasons will beat any published figure.
How does Plotera help?
Sowing windows in the calendar reflect your climate zone, and the weather feed flags frost risk so plantings can be timed around it rather than guessed.
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