When to plant in Lenox, MA
Planting dates worked out from Lenox's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 8
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 9
1 year in 10 by Sep 26
Frost-free days
156
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Pittsfield Muni Ap · 7.8 km away · station 351 m, town 383 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 24 – Apr 7 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 6 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – Apr 24 | May 20 |
| Peas | — | Apr 10 – May 8 | Jun 4 |
| Bush beans | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 20 – Jun 1 | Jun 19 |
| Beet | — | Apr 20 – Jun 1 | Jun 9 |
| Potato | — | Apr 20 – May 11 | Jun 29 |
| Kale | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | Apr 17 – May 1 | May 30 |
| Broccoli | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 9 |
| Cucumber | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 3 |
| Winter squash | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Aug 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jul 9 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 25 – Oct 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 10 – May 8 | May 18 |
| Basil | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 15 |
Lenox'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 |
|---|---|
| 1926 | May 5 |
| 1927 | May 2 |
| 1930 | May 30 |
| 1931 | May 2 |
| 1932 | Apr 28 |
| 1933 | May 5 |
| 1934 | May 13 |
| 1935 | May 24 |
| 1936 | May 22 |
| 1937 | Apr 25 |
| 1938 | Apr 24 |
| 1941 | May 13 |
| 1942 | May 11 |
| 1943 | May 15 |
| 1944 | May 20 |
| 1945 | May 11 |
| 1946 | May 9 |
| 1947 | May 15 |
| 1948 | May 2 |
| 1949 | May 26 |
| 1950 | May 8 |
| 1951 | May 14 |
| 1952 | May 17 |
| 1953 | May 4 |
| 1954 | May 14 |
| 1955 | May 10 |
| 1956 | May 25 |
| 1957 | May 17 |
| 1958 | May 14 |
| 1959 | May 17 |
| 1960 | May 3 |
| 1961 | May 31 |
| 1962 | May 13 |
| 1963 | May 25 |
| 1964 | May 3 |
| 1965 | Apr 25 |
| 1966 | May 14 |
| 1967 | May 30 |
| 1968 | May 27 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1999 | Apr 29 |
| 2000 | May 16 |
| 2001 | Jun 1 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | May 5 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | Apr 30 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 13 |
| 2011 | Apr 23 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | May 7 |
| 2015 | Apr 26 |
| 2016 | May 10 |
| 2017 | May 4 |
| 2018 | Apr 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | May 14 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | May 1 |
| 2023 | May 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1926 | 157 |
| 1927 | 161 |
| 1930 | 124 |
| 1931 | 160 |
| 1932 | 154 |
| 1933 | 161 |
| 1934 | 141 |
| 1935 | 115 |
| 1936 | 126 |
| 1937 | 166 |
| 1938 | 166 |
| 1942 | 140 |
| 1943 | 120 |
| 1944 | 125 |
| 1945 | 141 |
| 1946 | 127 |
| 1947 | 130 |
| 1948 | 136 |
| 1949 | 122 |
| 1950 | 139 |
| 1951 | 138 |
| 1952 | 143 |
| 1953 | 141 |
| 1954 | 145 |
| 1955 | 135 |
| 1956 | 107 |
| 1957 | 132 |
| 1958 | 140 |
| 1959 | 122 |
| 1960 | 151 |
| 1961 | 121 |
| 1962 | 116 |
| 1963 | 120 |
| 1964 | 135 |
| 1965 | 127 |
| 1966 | 135 |
| 1967 | 103 |
| 1999 | 159 |
| 2000 | 134 |
| 2001 | 128 |
| 2002 | 144 |
| 2003 | 137 |
| 2004 | 153 |
| 2005 | 160 |
| 2006 | 152 |
| 2007 | 166 |
| 2008 | 159 |
| 2009 | 144 |
| 2010 | 130 |
| 2011 | 183 |
| 2012 | 164 |
| 2013 | 160 |
| 2014 | 151 |
| 2015 | 167 |
| 2016 | 138 |
| 2017 | 165 |
| 2018 | 176 |
| 2019 | 158 |
| 2020 | 129 |
| 2021 | 183 |
| 2022 | 160 |
| 2023 | 158 |
| 2024 | 171 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1926 | 14.7 °C |
| 1927 | 14.9 °C |
| 1930 | 16.6 °C |
| 1931 | 17.3 °C |
| 1932 | 15.7 °C |
| 1933 | 16.8 °C |
| 1934 | 16.5 °C |
| 1935 | 15.4 °C |
| 1936 | 16.0 °C |
| 1937 | 17.1 °C |
| 1938 | 16.5 °C |
| 1942 | 16.6 °C |
| 1943 | 14.5 °C |
| 1944 | 15.3 °C |
| 1945 | 14.9 °C |
| 1946 | 14.1 °C |
| 1947 | 15.2 °C |
| 1948 | 15.6 °C |
| 1949 | 15.8 °C |
| 1950 | 13.8 °C |
| 1951 | 14.7 °C |
| 1952 | 15.2 °C |
| 1953 | 15.1 °C |
| 1954 | 14.3 °C |
| 1955 | 16.1 °C |
| 1956 | 13.6 °C |
| 1957 | 15.2 °C |
| 1958 | 14.3 °C |
| 1959 | 16.2 °C |
| 1960 | 15.2 °C |
| 1961 | 15.2 °C |
| 1962 | 14.3 °C |
| 1963 | 14.0 °C |
| 1964 | 14.7 °C |
| 1965 | 14.7 °C |
| 1966 | 14.3 °C |
| 1967 | 14.4 °C |
| 1999 | 16.0 °C |
| 2000 | 14.2 °C |
| 2001 | 15.0 °C |
| 2002 | 15.6 °C |
| 2003 | 15.0 °C |
| 2004 | 15.3 °C |
| 2005 | 16.1 °C |
| 2006 | 15.4 °C |
| 2007 | 15.3 °C |
| 2008 | 16.2 °C |
| 2009 | 15.0 °C |
| 2010 | 17.0 °C |
| 2011 | 16.2 °C |
| 2012 | 16.3 °C |
| 2013 | 15.4 °C |
| 2014 | 15.2 °C |
| 2015 | 16.1 °C |
| 2016 | 15.9 °C |
| 2017 | 15.7 °C |
| 2018 | 16.6 °C |
| 2019 | 16.2 °C |
| 2020 | 16.1 °C |
| 2021 | 16.2 °C |
| 2022 | 16.1 °C |
| 2023 | 16.0 °C |
| 2024 | 16.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1926, Lenox'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 Pittsfield Muni Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.