When to plant in Niantic, CT
Planting dates worked out from Niantic's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 1
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 21
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 26
1 year in 10 by Oct 18
Frost-free days
187
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Groton New London Ap · 12.0 km away · station 2 m, town 9 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 13 – Mar 27 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 2 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 7 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 25 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 11 |
| Peas | — | Apr 1 – Apr 29 | May 26 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 19 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 11 |
| Beet | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 1 |
| Potato | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 21 |
| Kale | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Broccoli | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| Cucumber | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 27 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jun 22 |
| Winter squash | Apr 10 – Apr 17 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 27 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 30 – May 21 | Jun 29 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | Jun 30 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 12 – Nov 9 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 1 – Apr 29 | May 9 |
| Basil | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 4 |
Niantic'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 |
|---|---|
| 2000 | May 1 |
| 2001 | May 7 |
| 2002 | Apr 27 |
| 2003 | Apr 25 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 21 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 13 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 22 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | Apr 7 |
| 2014 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 13 |
| 2016 | Apr 13 |
| 2017 | Mar 30 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | Apr 25 |
| 2021 | Apr 4 |
| 2022 | Apr 21 |
| 2023 | Apr 9 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 180 |
| 2001 | 154 |
| 2002 | 177 |
| 2003 | 176 |
| 2004 | 211 |
| 2005 | 199 |
| 2006 | 198 |
| 2007 | 199 |
| 2008 | 172 |
| 2009 | 188 |
| 2010 | 173 |
| 2011 | 190 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 201 |
| 2014 | 181 |
| 2015 | 187 |
| 2016 | 208 |
| 2017 | 223 |
| 2018 | 177 |
| 2019 | 186 |
| 2020 | 187 |
| 2021 | 213 |
| 2022 | 206 |
| 2023 | 206 |
| 2024 | 184 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 16.2 °C |
| 2001 | 16.9 °C |
| 2002 | 17.2 °C |
| 2003 | 16.3 °C |
| 2004 | 16.6 °C |
| 2005 | 17.1 °C |
| 2006 | 17.0 °C |
| 2007 | 16.8 °C |
| 2008 | 17.2 °C |
| 2009 | 16.6 °C |
| 2010 | 19.0 °C |
| 2011 | 17.9 °C |
| 2012 | 18.0 °C |
| 2013 | 17.4 °C |
| 2014 | 16.6 °C |
| 2015 | 17.6 °C |
| 2016 | 18.0 °C |
| 2017 | 17.4 °C |
| 2018 | 17.7 °C |
| 2019 | 18.4 °C |
| 2020 | 17.1 °C |
| 2021 | 17.7 °C |
| 2022 | 18.7 °C |
| 2023 | 18.5 °C |
| 2024 | 17.8 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Groton New London Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.