When to plant in Nahant, MA
Planting dates worked out from Nahant's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 8
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 16
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 28
1 year in 10 by Oct 15
Frost-free days
200
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Marblehead · 9.4 km away · station 26 m, town 27 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 26 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 16 | May 12 |
| Peas | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 27 |
| Bush beans | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 11 |
| Beet | — | Apr 12 – May 24 | Jun 1 |
| Potato | — | Apr 12 – May 3 | Jun 21 |
| Kale | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 22 |
| Broccoli | Feb 19 – Mar 5 | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 1 |
| 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 | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 30 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jul 1 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 14 – Nov 11 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 2 – Apr 30 | May 10 |
| Basil | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 4 |
Nahant'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 |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Apr 13 |
| 1986 | Apr 12 |
| 1987 | Apr 29 |
| 1988 | Apr 21 |
| 1989 | Apr 23 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 27 |
| 1994 | Apr 2 |
| 1995 | Apr 18 |
| 1996 | Apr 10 |
| 1997 | Apr 15 |
| 1998 | Mar 25 |
| 1999 | Apr 11 |
| 2000 | Apr 13 |
| 2001 | Apr 4 |
| 2002 | Apr 8 |
| 2003 | Apr 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 6 |
| 2005 | Apr 16 |
| 2006 | Apr 6 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Apr 9 |
| 2009 | Apr 18 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 8 |
| 2012 | Apr 7 |
| 2013 | Apr 7 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 20 |
| 2019 | May 28 |
| 2020 | May 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 5 |
| 2025 | Apr 12 |
| 2026 | Apr 24 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 199 |
| 1986 | 189 |
| 1987 | 176 |
| 1988 | 170 |
| 1989 | 169 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1992 | 177 |
| 1993 | 166 |
| 1994 | 223 |
| 1995 | 200 |
| 1996 | 215 |
| 1997 | 190 |
| 1998 | 223 |
| 1999 | 210 |
| 2000 | 199 |
| 2001 | 207 |
| 2002 | 198 |
| 2003 | 189 |
| 2004 | 211 |
| 2005 | 196 |
| 2007 | 210 |
| 2008 | 197 |
| 2009 | 202 |
| 2010 | 217 |
| 2011 | 202 |
| 2012 | 188 |
| 2013 | 204 |
| 2014 | 210 |
| 2015 | 193 |
| 2017 | 160 |
| 2018 | 184 |
| 2019 | 129 |
| 2024 | 206 |
| 2025 | 208 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1985 | 16.9 °C |
| 1986 | 16.2 °C |
| 1987 | 16.8 °C |
| 1988 | 16.9 °C |
| 1989 | 16.7 °C |
| 1990 | 16.8 °C |
| 1992 | 16.0 °C |
| 1993 | 17.7 °C |
| 1994 | 17.8 °C |
| 1995 | 17.2 °C |
| 1996 | 17.1 °C |
| 1997 | 17.1 °C |
| 1998 | 17.8 °C |
| 1999 | 18.3 °C |
| 2000 | 16.8 °C |
| 2001 | 18.0 °C |
| 2002 | 18.2 °C |
| 2003 | 16.5 °C |
| 2004 | 16.6 °C |
| 2005 | 17.3 °C |
| 2007 | 17.2 °C |
| 2008 | 17.1 °C |
| 2009 | 16.7 °C |
| 2010 | 18.8 °C |
| 2011 | 17.5 °C |
| 2012 | 17.9 °C |
| 2013 | 17.8 °C |
| 2014 | 17.9 °C |
| 2015 | 18.3 °C |
| 2017 | 16.6 °C |
| 2018 | 16.7 °C |
| 2019 | 16.1 °C |
| 2020 | 15.7 °C |
| 2022 | 17.9 °C |
| 2024 | 17.5 °C |
| 2025 | 17.4 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1985, Nahant's last spring frost has come about 1 day later per decade, on average. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Marblehead (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.