If there is one thing new gardeners fear most, it’s freezing temperatures killing off their plants. If you plant to early, disaster strikes, and you’ll have to try again. Plant too late, and the cooler weather lovers wilt, while the warm weather lovers are stunted by not enough lead time. No need to slap the back of your hand dramatically to your forehead and cry:
“What’s a gardener to do?!”
Instead, learn about your zone, specifically the median freezing dates.
This means to take a few moments to glance at the USDA charts below and figure out when it’s safe to plant in the spring, and when you’re likely to see freezing in the fall. From here, we can plan accordingly for freeze hardy plants.
Unfortunately, I could not find any data for the rest of the world. So, if you live outside the United States, get in touch with your local agricultural representatives to see if they have a chart similar. Otherwise, your best bet is to ask your elders when they think the thaw is. Their memory is often as good as the data for general trends.