When to plant in Bellingham, MA
Planting dates worked out from Bellingham's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 9
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 13
Frost-free days
175
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Woonsocket · 10.9 km away · station 110 m, town 90 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 14 – Mar 28 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 3 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 8 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 12 |
| Peas | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 27 |
| Bush beans | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jun 21 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 10 – May 22 | Jun 9 |
| Beet | — | Apr 10 – May 22 | May 30 |
| Potato | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 19 |
| Kale | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Broccoli | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| Cucumber | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 28 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jun 23 |
| Winter squash | Apr 11 – Apr 18 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 28 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 2 – May 23 | Jul 1 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jul 1 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 10 |
| Basil | Mar 28 – Apr 11 | May 9 – May 23 | Jul 5 |
Bellingham'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 |
|---|---|
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | Apr 29 |
| 2007 | May 7 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 20 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 23 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 17 |
| 2017 | Apr 3 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 11 |
| 2020 | Apr 25 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 166 |
| 2006 | 169 |
| 2007 | 174 |
| 2008 | 171 |
| 2009 | 174 |
| 2010 | 164 |
| 2011 | 187 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 181 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 180 |
| 2017 | 219 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 204 |
| 2020 | 175 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 17.9 °C |
| 2006 | 17.5 °C |
| 2007 | 17.5 °C |
| 2008 | 17.6 °C |
| 2009 | 17.0 °C |
| 2010 | 19.3 °C |
| 2011 | 18.6 °C |
| 2012 | 18.7 °C |
| 2013 | 18.2 °C |
| 2014 | 17.6 °C |
| 2015 | 18.6 °C |
| 2016 | 18.4 °C |
| 2017 | 18.1 °C |
| 2018 | 18.7 °C |
| 2019 | 18.1 °C |
| 2020 | 18.2 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Woonsocket (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.