The growing season is defined as:

The growing season is defined as:

• A. The warmest part of the year
• B. The period from planting to harvest
• C. The number of days between the last killing frost in the spring and the first killing frost in the fall
• D. The total days of sunshine per year

Answer: (C)

The growing season is the frost-free window when temperatures stay above freezing long enough for plants to grow. It begins after the last killing frost in spring and ends with the first killing frost in fall. This matters because frost can damage or kill young or tender plant tissue, so that stretch between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost sets the reliable period for planting and growing most garden crops. It’s not just about how warm the middle of the year feels, nor is it simply the period from planting to harvest, since crop timing depends on frost events and local climate. It’s also not determined by total sunshine alone, because even sunny days don’t matter if frost can return. In practice, gardeners use local frost dates to estimate this window and plan what to grow and when to plant.

The growing season is the frost-free window when temperatures stay above freezing long enough for plants to grow. It begins after the last killing frost in spring and ends with the first killing frost in fall. This matters because frost can damage or kill young or tender plant tissue, so that stretch between the last spring frost and the first autumn frost sets the reliable period for planting and growing most garden crops. It’s not just about how warm the middle of the year feels, nor is it simply the period from planting to harvest, since crop timing depends on frost events and local climate. It’s also not determined by total sunshine alone, because even sunny days don’t matter if frost can return. In practice, gardeners use local frost dates to estimate this window and plan what to grow and when to plant.