When to plant in Berkley, MA
Planting dates worked out from Berkley's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 17
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 5
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 7
1 year in 10 by Sep 26
Frost-free days
153
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Taunton Muni Ap · 6.1 km away · station 8 m, town 23 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 22 – Apr 5 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 11 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 16 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 3 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 17 |
| Peas | — | Apr 1 – Apr 29 | May 26 |
| Bush beans | — | May 10 – May 31 | Jun 29 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 14 – May 26 | Jun 13 |
| Beet | — | Apr 10 – May 22 | May 30 |
| Potato | — | Apr 14 – May 5 | Jun 23 |
| Kale | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Broccoli | Feb 24 – Mar 10 | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jun 6 |
| Cucumber | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 6 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 1 |
| Winter squash | Apr 19 – Apr 26 | May 17 – May 31 | Aug 5 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 10 – May 31 | Jul 9 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 7 – Apr 28 | Jul 6 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 23 – Oct 21 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 1 – Apr 29 | May 9 |
| Basil | Apr 5 – Apr 19 | May 17 – May 31 | Jul 13 |
Berkley'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 |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Apr 29 |
| 1999 | May 14 |
| 2000 | May 3 |
| 2001 | May 8 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | May 5 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | May 1 |
| 2007 | May 7 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 20 |
| 2010 | May 13 |
| 2011 | May 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | May 10 |
| 2017 | May 4 |
| 2018 | Apr 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | May 21 |
| 2021 | Apr 9 |
| 2022 | May 1 |
| 2024 | Apr 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 158 |
| 1999 | 144 |
| 2000 | 149 |
| 2001 | 152 |
| 2002 | 145 |
| 2003 | 137 |
| 2004 | 152 |
| 2005 | 161 |
| 2006 | 159 |
| 2007 | 174 |
| 2008 | 159 |
| 2009 | 173 |
| 2010 | 149 |
| 2011 | 157 |
| 2012 | 164 |
| 2013 | 151 |
| 2014 | 150 |
| 2015 | 153 |
| 2016 | 138 |
| 2017 | 161 |
| 2018 | 176 |
| 2019 | 158 |
| 2020 | 121 |
| 2021 | 206 |
| 2024 | 168 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 17.4 °C |
| 1999 | 17.8 °C |
| 2000 | 16.2 °C |
| 2001 | 17.1 °C |
| 2002 | 17.4 °C |
| 2003 | 16.8 °C |
| 2004 | 16.9 °C |
| 2005 | 17.9 °C |
| 2006 | 17.2 °C |
| 2007 | 17.9 °C |
| 2008 | 17.2 °C |
| 2009 | 16.6 °C |
| 2010 | 18.2 °C |
| 2011 | 17.5 °C |
| 2012 | 17.7 °C |
| 2013 | 17.5 °C |
| 2014 | 17.0 °C |
| 2015 | 17.8 °C |
| 2016 | 17.8 °C |
| 2017 | 17.3 °C |
| 2018 | 18.2 °C |
| 2019 | 17.8 °C |
| 2020 | 17.7 °C |
| 2021 | 18.1 °C |
| 2023 | 18.8 °C |
| 2024 | 18.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Taunton Muni Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.