When to plant in Baltic, CT
Planting dates worked out from Baltic's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 27
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 17
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 19
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
188
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Norwich Public Utility Plt · 10.2 km away · station 6 m, town 18 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 22 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 17 – Mar 3 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 27 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 23 – Mar 2 | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 9 |
| Peas | — | Mar 30 – Apr 27 | May 24 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 12 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | Jun 7 |
| Beet | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | May 28 |
| Potato | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 17 |
| Kale | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 19 |
| Broccoli | Feb 16 – Mar 2 | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | May 29 |
| Cucumber | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 17 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 12 |
| Winter squash | Mar 31 – Apr 7 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jul 17 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 23 – May 14 | Jun 22 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 30 – Apr 20 | Jun 28 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 5 – Nov 2 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 30 – Apr 27 | May 7 |
| Basil | Mar 17 – Mar 31 | Apr 28 – May 12 | Jun 24 |
Baltic's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1958 | Apr 17 |
| 1959 | Apr 23 |
| 1960 | Apr 20 |
| 1961 | Apr 21 |
| 1962 | Apr 21 |
| 1963 | May 13 |
| 1964 | May 21 |
| 1965 | Apr 24 |
| 1968 | May 8 |
| 1971 | Apr 28 |
| 1972 | Apr 28 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Apr 20 |
| 1975 | Apr 28 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | Apr 11 |
| 1978 | May 1 |
| 1979 | Apr 21 |
| 1980 | May 15 |
| 1981 | Apr 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | May 9 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | May 14 |
| 1988 | Apr 26 |
| 1989 | Apr 26 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 19 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | Apr 25 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 26 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Apr 11 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | May 8 |
| 2002 | Apr 28 |
| 2003 | Apr 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 11 |
| 2006 | Apr 12 |
| 2007 | Apr 12 |
| 2010 | Apr 17 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Apr 8 |
| 2014 | Apr 19 |
| 2015 | Apr 7 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Mar 27 |
| 2018 | Apr 12 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | Apr 23 |
| 2021 | Apr 5 |
| 2022 | Mar 31 |
| 2023 | Apr 11 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
| 2025 | Apr 19 |
| 2026 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 171 |
| 1959 | 175 |
| 1960 | 183 |
| 1961 | 177 |
| 1963 | 133 |
| 1964 | 139 |
| 1971 | 191 |
| 1972 | 165 |
| 1973 | 185 |
| 1974 | 167 |
| 1975 | 163 |
| 1976 | 158 |
| 1977 | 177 |
| 1978 | 160 |
| 1979 | 151 |
| 1980 | 147 |
| 1981 | 170 |
| 1982 | 170 |
| 1983 | 155 |
| 1986 | 156 |
| 1987 | 148 |
| 1988 | 164 |
| 1989 | 166 |
| 1990 | 184 |
| 1991 | 161 |
| 1994 | 170 |
| 1995 | 175 |
| 1996 | 142 |
| 1997 | 178 |
| 1998 | 176 |
| 1999 | 179 |
| 2000 | 191 |
| 2001 | 153 |
| 2002 | 169 |
| 2003 | 171 |
| 2004 | 197 |
| 2006 | 185 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2012 | 188 |
| 2013 | 199 |
| 2014 | 202 |
| 2015 | 193 |
| 2016 | 196 |
| 2017 | 226 |
| 2018 | 189 |
| 2019 | 212 |
| 2020 | 190 |
| 2021 | 212 |
| 2022 | 212 |
| 2023 | 204 |
| 2024 | 223 |
| 2025 | 190 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1958 | 16.8 °C |
| 1959 | 19.1 °C |
| 1960 | 18.1 °C |
| 1961 | 18.3 °C |
| 1962 | 17.3 °C |
| 1963 | 17.4 °C |
| 1971 | 17.2 °C |
| 1972 | 17.2 °C |
| 1974 | 16.6 °C |
| 1978 | 17.0 °C |
| 1979 | 17.7 °C |
| 1980 | 18.1 °C |
| 1981 | 17.5 °C |
| 1982 | 16.8 °C |
| 1983 | 17.8 °C |
| 1984 | 17.4 °C |
| 1985 | 17.5 °C |
| 1986 | 17.5 °C |
| 1987 | 17.6 °C |
| 1988 | 17.6 °C |
| 1989 | 17.4 °C |
| 1990 | 17.3 °C |
| 1991 | 17.8 °C |
| 1993 | 18.2 °C |
| 1994 | 18.1 °C |
| 1995 | 17.7 °C |
| 1996 | 17.6 °C |
| 1997 | 17.2 °C |
| 1998 | 18.5 °C |
| 1999 | 19.0 °C |
| 2000 | 17.2 °C |
| 2001 | 18.2 °C |
| 2002 | 18.2 °C |
| 2003 | 17.6 °C |
| 2004 | 17.9 °C |
| 2006 | 18.0 °C |
| 2007 | 17.9 °C |
| 2012 | 19.0 °C |
| 2013 | 18.4 °C |
| 2014 | 17.9 °C |
| 2015 | 18.9 °C |
| 2016 | 18.7 °C |
| 2017 | 18.6 °C |
| 2018 | 19.1 °C |
| 2019 | 18.4 °C |
| 2020 | 18.4 °C |
| 2021 | 18.9 °C |
| 2022 | 19.0 °C |
| 2023 | 18.7 °C |
| 2024 | 19.0 °C |
| 2025 | 18.6 °C |
| 2026 | 18.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1958, Baltic's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Norwich Public Utility Plt (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.