USDA hardiness zone lookup
Highlands Ranch, CO — USDA Zone 5b
Highlands Ranch, Colorado · 144-day growing season
Frost dates and growing season in Highlands Ranch
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 5b |
|---|---|
| Average last spring frost | May 9 |
| Average first fall frost | September 30 |
| Growing season length | ~144 days |
| Temperature range (F) | -20 to -10°F |
| Temperature range (C) | -29 to -23°C |
All of Highlands Ranch's mapped ZIP codes fall in the same hardiness band, Zone 5b.
These are 50%-probability averages modeled from Highlands Ranch's USDA hardiness zone and regional climate normals — not a single-station reading. In a typical year the last spring frost will have passed by May 9, but a colder-than-average year can run 1-2 weeks later. Plant tender crops (tomatoes, peppers, basil) once both soil and night temperatures are consistently warm — a thermometer beats the calendar.
Growing season in Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch, Colorado sits in USDA Zone 5b, with roughly 144 frost-free days between an average last spring frost around May 9 and a first fall frost around September 30. That is a standard temperate season — most common vegetables finish comfortably, and a single main planting plus one succession round works well.
What grows in Highlands Ranch
Highlands Ranch falls in USDA Zone 5b, so the same hardiness constraints apply as the full Zone 5 guide. Vegetables, herbs, and fruit trees rated to Zone 5b (or hardier) will overwinter here in a typical year.
- Tomatoes (full range of varieties)
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Squash, melons, cucumbers
- Beans (bush + pole)
- Sweet corn
- Apples, pears, plums
- Cherries (sweet + sour)
- Blueberries, raspberries
- Garlic
What to plant in Highlands Ranch this week
Highlands Ranch's last frost is around May 9. This is the spring transplant window — start tomatoes and peppers indoors if you haven't, and direct-sow cold-tolerant crops now.
- When to plant tomatoes in zone 5
- When to plant peppers in zone 5
- When to plant basil in zone 5
- When to plant bush beans in zone 5
- When to plant cucumbers in zone 5
Full planting calendar for Highlands Ranch
Crop-by-crop sowing, transplant, and harvest dates calibrated to zone 5 averages:
- When to plant tomatoes in zone 5
- When to plant peppers in zone 5
- When to plant basil in zone 5
- When to plant garlic in zone 5
- When to plant lettuce in zone 5
- When to plant bush beans in zone 5
- When to plant cucumbers in zone 5
- When to plant summer squash in zone 5
- When to plant peas in zone 5
- When to plant carrots in zone 5
ZIP codes in Highlands Ranch
Drill down to the precise frost window and planting calendar for a specific ZIP in Highlands Ranch:
Local microclimate notes
Zone tables give you the average — but Highlands Ranchgardens vary. South-facing walls and paved areas can run a full half-zone warmer than the published rating. Low-lying spots, frost pockets, and shaded north sides can run colder. If you've gardened here a few seasons, your own frost record — the last time you actually got frost damage — beats any national average.
Source and methodology
Hardiness zone from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023 revision). Frost-date and growing-season figures are modeled from Highlands Ranch's USDA hardiness zone and regional NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals — zone-level estimates, not a per-station record, so treat them as planning guidance and confirm against your own local frost history. Crop recommendations draw on US Cooperative Extension references, curated by the Growli editorial team. Last reviewed June 2026.
Other cities in Colorado
- Arvada, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Aurora, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Boulder, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Colorado Springs, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Denver, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Fort Collins, CO — USDA Zone 5b
- Glenwood Springs, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Grand Junction, CO — USDA Zone 7a
- Greeley, CO — USDA Zone 5b
- Lakewood, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Littleton, CO — USDA Zone 6a
- Longmont, CO — USDA Zone 5b
- All of Colorado by zone