Tower, MN frost dates
Last spring frostAny monthno frost-free season
Freezing nights220 / yrat or below 32°F
Hardiness zone3aZone 3a
Gardening where frost is possible all year
The weather station nearest Tower, MN records freezing temperatures in every month often enough that NOAA cannot define a frost-free season. Gardening is still possible — it just means planning for frost at any time:
- Grow fast, cold-tolerant crops: Radishes, Lettuce, Spinach, Kale, Peas, Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Garlic.
- Plant once the soil can be worked — usually late spring to early summer at high elevation — and keep row covers ready for clear, still nights.
- Use season extension: cold frames, low tunnels, wall-of-water cloches or a greenhouse turn a few frost-free weeks into a real season.
- Frost-tender crops (tomatoes, squash, beans) need protection all season; choose the earliest varieties you can find.
How Tower compares
- Nearby Duluth, MN, 114 km away, has a regular frost season (last frost May 14), a reminder of how much elevation and distance from the coast matter.
About these dates
Based on 1991–2020 NOAA climate normals for the Tower 2s, MN weather station, 3 km away (elevation 1,430 ft (436 m)).
Frost dates near Tower
- Soudan frost any month
- Embarrass frost any month
- Angora May 12 · Oct 1
- Babbitt May 28 · Sep 14
- Britt May 12 · Oct 1
- Biwabik frost any month
- Cook May 12 · Oct 1
- Ely May 14 · Sep 29
- Hoyt Lakes frost any month
- Aurora frost any month
Frequently asked questions
When is the last frost in Tower, MN?
Tower, MN can freeze in any month, so there is no reliable last frost date. The nearest NOAA station averages 220 nights a year at or below 32°F.
What can I grow in Tower, MN?
Fast, cold-tolerant crops such as radishes, lettuce, spinach, kale, peas and potatoes, ideally under row covers, cold frames or a greenhouse. Frost-tender crops like tomatoes need protection all season.