When to plant in Madison, CT
Planting dates worked out from Madison's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 25
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 14
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 26
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
192
median, 1991–2020
Station used: New Haven Tweed Ap · 24.4 km away · station 2 m, town 7 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 5 – Mar 19 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 24 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 29 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 22 – Mar 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 12 | May 8 |
| Peas | — | Mar 29 – Apr 26 | May 23 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jun 13 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | Jun 7 |
| Beet | — | Apr 8 – May 20 | May 28 |
| Potato | — | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 17 |
| Kale | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 18 |
| Broccoli | Feb 15 – Mar 1 | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | May 28 |
| Cucumber | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 19 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 14 |
| Winter squash | Apr 2 – Apr 9 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jul 19 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 24 – May 15 | Jun 23 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 29 – Apr 19 | Jun 27 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 29 – Apr 26 | May 6 |
| Basil | Mar 19 – Apr 2 | Apr 30 – May 14 | Jun 26 |
Madison'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 |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Apr 29 |
| 1949 | Apr 11 |
| 1950 | Apr 17 |
| 1951 | Mar 27 |
| 1952 | Apr 12 |
| 1953 | Mar 23 |
| 1954 | Apr 10 |
| 1955 | Mar 29 |
| 1956 | May 9 |
| 1957 | Apr 16 |
| 1958 | Apr 10 |
| 1959 | Apr 14 |
| 1960 | Apr 20 |
| 1961 | Apr 21 |
| 1962 | Apr 20 |
| 1963 | Apr 26 |
| 1964 | Apr 10 |
| 1965 | Apr 15 |
| 1966 | Apr 18 |
| 1967 | May 7 |
| 1968 | Apr 12 |
| 1969 | Apr 13 |
| 1970 | Apr 11 |
| 1971 | Apr 17 |
| 1974 | Apr 11 |
| 1975 | Apr 23 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 2002 | Apr 27 |
| 2003 | Apr 25 |
| 2004 | Apr 10 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 21 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 9 |
| 2010 | Mar 27 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 3 |
| 2013 | Apr 7 |
| 2014 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 13 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Apr 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 12 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 25 |
| 2021 | Apr 4 |
| 2022 | Apr 5 |
| 2023 | Apr 3 |
| 2024 | Mar 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 172 |
| 1949 | 218 |
| 1950 | 192 |
| 1951 | 220 |
| 1952 | 190 |
| 1953 | 199 |
| 1954 | 180 |
| 1955 | 207 |
| 1956 | 184 |
| 1957 | 193 |
| 1958 | 178 |
| 1959 | 188 |
| 1960 | 183 |
| 1961 | 189 |
| 1962 | 189 |
| 1963 | 200 |
| 1964 | 183 |
| 1965 | 173 |
| 1966 | 194 |
| 1967 | 175 |
| 1968 | 202 |
| 1969 | 192 |
| 1970 | 199 |
| 1975 | 190 |
| 1976 | 188 |
| 2002 | 170 |
| 2003 | 176 |
| 2004 | 207 |
| 2005 | 193 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 190 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 192 |
| 2010 | 219 |
| 2011 | 203 |
| 2012 | 192 |
| 2013 | 200 |
| 2014 | 207 |
| 2015 | 187 |
| 2016 | 201 |
| 2017 | 213 |
| 2018 | 189 |
| 2019 | 215 |
| 2020 | 187 |
| 2021 | 215 |
| 2022 | 222 |
| 2023 | 212 |
| 2024 | 229 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1948 | 17.0 °C |
| 1949 | 18.1 °C |
| 1950 | 16.2 °C |
| 1951 | 17.6 °C |
| 1952 | 18.1 °C |
| 1953 | 17.6 °C |
| 1954 | 16.7 °C |
| 1955 | 18.2 °C |
| 1956 | 16.1 °C |
| 1957 | 17.6 °C |
| 1958 | 16.6 °C |
| 1959 | 18.1 °C |
| 1960 | 17.4 °C |
| 1961 | 17.5 °C |
| 1962 | 16.8 °C |
| 1963 | 16.8 °C |
| 1964 | 17.0 °C |
| 1965 | 17.3 °C |
| 1966 | 16.9 °C |
| 1967 | 16.5 °C |
| 1968 | 17.7 °C |
| 1969 | 17.9 °C |
| 1970 | 18.1 °C |
| 1971 | 17.9 °C |
| 1974 | 17.8 °C |
| 1975 | 17.2 °C |
| 1976 | 18.7 °C |
| 2002 | 18.0 °C |
| 2003 | 17.0 °C |
| 2004 | 17.4 °C |
| 2005 | 18.2 °C |
| 2006 | 17.8 °C |
| 2007 | 17.7 °C |
| 2008 | 18.6 °C |
| 2009 | 18.2 °C |
| 2010 | 19.9 °C |
| 2011 | 19.2 °C |
| 2012 | 19.4 °C |
| 2013 | 18.6 °C |
| 2014 | 18.5 °C |
| 2015 | 18.6 °C |
| 2016 | 18.5 °C |
| 2017 | 18.2 °C |
| 2018 | 19.1 °C |
| 2019 | 19.4 °C |
| 2020 | 19.1 °C |
| 2021 | 19.6 °C |
| 2022 | 20.1 °C |
| 2023 | 19.5 °C |
| 2024 | 20.1 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1948, Madison's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from New Haven Tweed Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.