Louisiana Planting Zones by City and ZIP Code
Louisiana runs from zones 8b to 10a; 49% of its ZIPs are 9a, New Orleans is 9b and Baton Rouge is 9a.
Louisiana runs from zones 8b to 10a
The coldest night of the winter averages 15°F to 20°F in the coldest of Louisiana’s ZIP codes and 30°F to 35°F in the warmest. Most of the state is zone 9a.
Planting zones of Louisiana cities
| City | Zone | Coldest night, on average | Since 2012 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Orleans70112 | 9b | 25°F to 30°F | same as 2012 |
| Baton Rouge70801 | 9a | 20°F to 25°F | half a zone warmer than 2012 (8b) |
| Shreveport71101 | 8b | 15°F to 20°F | same as 2012 |
| Lafayette70501 | 9a | 20°F to 25°F | same as 2012 |
| Lake Charles70601 | 9a | 20°F to 25°F | same as 2012 |
| Monroe71201 | 8b | 15°F to 20°F | same as 2012 |
Tap a ZIP for that address’s frost dates and this month’s jobs.
Find your zone anywhere in Louisiana
A ZIP code or a town gives you its zone, how it moved since 2012, the frost dates at the nearest NOAA station, and the jobs for this month timed from them.
What to plant in Louisiana this month
The calendar for each of Louisiana's main zones, from vegetables to pruning and winter protection, each job tied to the extension page it comes from. Pick a month, or read the whole year below it.
Timed from the median frost dates of the 41 NOAA stations in Louisiana’s zone 9a: last spring frost Mar 1, first fall frost Nov 24. Your own ZIP’s frost dates move every window, so the ZIP tool times them for you. The vegetables follow LSU AgCenter’s Louisiana Vegetable Planting Guide for South Louisiana instead.
Pick a month above to see every job in it.
The year at a glance
- Plant vegetables: South Louisianaall year
- Plant trees and shrubsOct 13 to Mar 15
- Plant garlicNov 10 to Dec 15
- Plant pre-chilled tulip bulbsNov 20 to Dec 31
- Divide fall-blooming perennialsFeb 8 to Mar 22
- Divide spring and summer-blooming perennialsOct 13 to Nov 24
- Prune trees and summer-flowering shrubs while dormantJan 18 to Mar 1
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they bloomFeb 15 to Apr 12
- Prune out cold damageMar 1 to Apr 12
- Cover tender plants on a freezing nightNov 17 to Mar 1
- Cut back perennials after a hard freezeDec 1 to Dec 29
What changed in Louisiana since 2012
Every ZIP on both mapsCompared ZIP by ZIP from the 2023 and 2012 USDA tables; 710 Louisiana ZIP codes appear in both.
Why Louisiana’s zones moved
Of the cities above, Baton Rouge went from 8b to 9a.
The USDA explains the national picture: “When compared to the 2012 map, the 2023 version reveals that about half of the country shifted to the next warmer half zone, and the other half of the country remained in the same half zone.” The new map uses 1991 to 2020 and more than 13,000 weather stations, so it draws Louisiana’s hills, valleys and cities more finely than the 2012 map did.
A warmer zone changes which perennials and shrubs come through the winter, not when the garden gets planted; that still follows the frost dates.
Frost dates and seed starting in Louisiana
Louisiana planting zone questions
Planting zones by state
Sources. USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP code tables (2023 and 2012), PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University; USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map (USDA Agricultural Research Service, November 15, 2023); NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, annual/seasonal, by station (v1.0.1); NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Zones are read from the PRISM ZIP code tables, read Oct 9, 2026; a ZIP code’s zone is the zone at its center. The calendar’s extension sources are listed on the planting zones page and under each job.