When to plant in Gardner, MA
Planting dates worked out from Gardner's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 14
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Sep 30
1 year in 10 by Sep 17
Frost-free days
142
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Birch Hill Dam · 12.0 km away · station 261 m, town 324 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 19 – Apr 2 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 8 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 5 – Mar 19 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 13 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 8 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 22 |
| Peas | — | Apr 12 – May 10 | Jun 6 |
| Bush beans | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jun 27 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 22 – Jun 3 | Jun 21 |
| Beet | — | Apr 22 – Jun 3 | Jun 11 |
| Potato | — | Apr 22 – May 13 | Jul 1 |
| Kale | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | Apr 19 – May 3 | Jun 1 |
| Broccoli | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 11 |
| Cucumber | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 3 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Jun 28 |
| Winter squash | Apr 16 – Apr 23 | May 14 – May 28 | Aug 2 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jul 11 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 16 – Oct 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 12 – May 10 | May 20 |
| Basil | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 14 – May 28 | Jul 10 |
Gardner'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 |
|---|---|
| 1950 | May 9 |
| 1951 | Jun 8 |
| 1952 | May 28 |
| 1953 | May 4 |
| 1954 | May 27 |
| 1955 | May 20 |
| 1956 | May 29 |
| 1957 | May 17 |
| 1958 | Jun 7 |
| 1959 | May 18 |
| 1960 | May 3 |
| 1961 | May 31 |
| 1962 | May 13 |
| 1963 | May 25 |
| 1964 | Jun 6 |
| 1965 | May 15 |
| 1966 | May 16 |
| 1967 | Jun 1 |
| 1968 | May 28 |
| 1969 | May 27 |
| 1970 | May 29 |
| 1971 | Jun 11 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | May 23 |
| 1974 | May 21 |
| 1975 | Jun 10 |
| 1976 | May 21 |
| 1977 | Jun 9 |
| 1978 | Jun 16 |
| 1979 | Jun 26 |
| 1980 | Jun 12 |
| 1981 | May 21 |
| 1982 | May 5 |
| 1983 | May 19 |
| 1984 | Jun 3 |
| 1985 | May 30 |
| 1986 | Jun 3 |
| 1987 | Jun 11 |
| 1988 | Jun 11 |
| 1989 | May 9 |
| 1990 | Jun 1 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2004 | May 8 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | Apr 30 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | May 11 |
| 2011 | May 2 |
| 2012 | May 12 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | May 7 |
| 2015 | May 14 |
| 2016 | May 10 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 24 |
| 2019 | May 9 |
| 2020 | May 14 |
| 2021 | Apr 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 130 |
| 1951 | 110 |
| 1952 | 102 |
| 1953 | 128 |
| 1954 | 108 |
| 1955 | 110 |
| 1956 | 103 |
| 1957 | 130 |
| 1958 | 96 |
| 1959 | 121 |
| 1960 | 151 |
| 1961 | 109 |
| 1962 | 116 |
| 1963 | 108 |
| 1964 | 101 |
| 1965 | 107 |
| 1966 | 118 |
| 1967 | 101 |
| 1968 | 124 |
| 1969 | 116 |
| 1970 | 129 |
| 1971 | 74 |
| 1972 | 117 |
| 1973 | 120 |
| 1974 | 125 |
| 1975 | 82 |
| 1976 | 101 |
| 1977 | 94 |
| 1978 | 83 |
| 1979 | 85 |
| 1980 | 88 |
| 1981 | 130 |
| 1982 | 108 |
| 1983 | 118 |
| 1984 | 94 |
| 1985 | 104 |
| 1986 | 87 |
| 1987 | 84 |
| 1988 | 96 |
| 1989 | 138 |
| 2004 | 145 |
| 2005 | 137 |
| 2006 | 134 |
| 2007 | 151 |
| 2011 | 156 |
| 2012 | 152 |
| 2013 | 146 |
| 2014 | 135 |
| 2015 | 135 |
| 2016 | 138 |
| 2017 | 156 |
| 2018 | 173 |
| 2019 | 132 |
| 2020 | 127 |
| 2021 | 193 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 14.4 °C |
| 1951 | 14.8 °C |
| 1952 | 15.6 °C |
| 1953 | 16.2 °C |
| 1954 | 14.9 °C |
| 1955 | 16.8 °C |
| 1956 | 14.2 °C |
| 1957 | 15.8 °C |
| 1958 | 15.1 °C |
| 1959 | 16.8 °C |
| 1960 | 16.1 °C |
| 1961 | 16.1 °C |
| 1962 | 14.9 °C |
| 1963 | 15.1 °C |
| 1964 | 15.5 °C |
| 1965 | 15.4 °C |
| 1966 | 14.9 °C |
| 1967 | 15.1 °C |
| 1968 | 15.9 °C |
| 1969 | 16.2 °C |
| 1970 | 15.8 °C |
| 1971 | 14.6 °C |
| 1972 | 14.1 °C |
| 1973 | 15.5 °C |
| 1974 | 14.5 °C |
| 1975 | 14.4 °C |
| 1976 | 14.6 °C |
| 1977 | 14.6 °C |
| 1978 | 14.0 °C |
| 1979 | 14.9 °C |
| 1980 | 14.9 °C |
| 1981 | 15.1 °C |
| 1982 | 14.2 °C |
| 1983 | 15.4 °C |
| 1984 | 14.7 °C |
| 1985 | 14.6 °C |
| 1986 | 14.3 °C |
| 1987 | 14.6 °C |
| 1988 | 14.7 °C |
| 1989 | 14.6 °C |
| 1990 | 14.5 °C |
| 2002 | 15.7 °C |
| 2004 | 14.5 °C |
| 2005 | 16.5 °C |
| 2006 | 15.7 °C |
| 2007 | 15.2 °C |
| 2011 | 16.5 °C |
| 2012 | 16.6 °C |
| 2013 | 16.1 °C |
| 2014 | 15.6 °C |
| 2015 | 16.5 °C |
| 2016 | 16.3 °C |
| 2017 | 16.1 °C |
| 2018 | 16.6 °C |
| 2019 | 15.9 °C |
| 2020 | 16.0 °C |
| 2021 | 17.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1950, Gardner's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 6 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Birch Hill Dam (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.