Panama City, FL Frost Dates
Average frost dates, USDA hardiness zone, and growing season length for Panama City, Florida.
Gardening in Panama City
The Florida Panhandle's bay city has Gulf Coast conditions that bridge the Deep South and subtropical Florida.
Zone 8b with 263 frost-free days. St. Andrews Bay provides maritime moderation. The Panhandle's climate is closer to Mobile than Miami. Sandy soil drains fast.
Panama City's fishing heritage complements a food garden culture that grows the vegetables to accompany the Gulf catch.
What This Means for Panama City Gardeners
The average last spring frost in Panama City is around February 28, and the average first fall frost arrives around November 18. That gives you approximately 263 frost-free days to work with.
263 days is a long, productive season that supports two full rounds of warm-season crops plus continuous cool-season production through your mild winter. Most frost-sensitive crops can be transplanted by February 28, giving them months to produce before fall. Your winter garden is the real advantage — growing fresh vegetables in December and January while northern gardeners browse seed catalogs.
These dates are based on NOAA 30-year Climate Normal data for the Panama City area. Your actual frost dates could shift 2-3 weeks in either direction in any given year. Learn more about our data sources.
What to Grow in Panama City
Panama City's 263-day growing season is generous — long enough for two full growing windows (spring and fall) with warm-season crops between them. You can grow the full range of vegetables, herbs, and flowers with proper timing. Focus on heat-tolerant varieties for midsummer and cool-season crops for extended fall harvests. Recommended starting points: tomatoes, peppers, beans, cucumbers, squash, garlic, kale, and sunflowers.
See the full Florida planting guide for all 40 plants: Florida Planting Calendar. Or enter your zip code for exact planting dates personalized to Panama City.
More About Zone 8B
Panama City is in USDA Hardiness Zone 8B, which means average annual extreme minimum temperatures between 15°F to 20°F. View the full Zone 8B planting guide.
See the complete planting calendar for Florida: Florida Planting Calendar.
Other Cities in Florida
Frequently Asked Questions
These dates are based on NOAA's 30-year Climate Normal data for the Panama City area. They represent historical averages, not predictions. In any given year, the actual last frost could be 2-3 weeks earlier or later. Microclimates within Panama City (urban heat islands, hilltops, low-lying valleys) can also shift your local frost dates by a week or more.
Cool-season crops go in 3-4 weeks before your last frost (February 28). Warm-season crops wait until 2 weeks after. You have time for a fall round too — plant cool-season crops again in late summer for harvest into autumn. Enter your zip code for exact dates.