When to plant in Orleans, MA
Planting dates worked out from Orleans's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
Apr 26
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 13
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Nov 5
1 year in 10 by Oct 23
Frost-free days
206
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Chatham Muni Ap · 11.3 km away · station 19 m, town 18 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 17 – Mar 31 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 6 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 3 – Mar 17 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 11 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 28 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 14 |
| Peas | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 29 |
| Bush beans | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jun 25 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 16 |
| Beet | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 6 |
| Potato | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 26 |
| Kale | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 24 |
| Broccoli | Feb 21 – Mar 7 | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jun 3 |
| Cucumber | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 1 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jun 26 |
| Winter squash | Apr 14 – Apr 21 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 31 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 6 – May 27 | Jul 5 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 4 – Apr 25 | Jul 3 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 17 – Nov 14 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 12 |
| Basil | Mar 31 – Apr 14 | May 12 – May 26 | Jul 8 |
Orleans'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 |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Apr 11 |
| 1998 | Apr 12 |
| 1999 | May 1 |
| 2000 | Apr 11 |
| 2001 | May 7 |
| 2002 | Apr 27 |
| 2003 | Apr 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 9 |
| 2007 | Apr 11 |
| 2008 | Apr 16 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | Mar 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 9 |
| 2012 | Apr 6 |
| 2013 | Apr 7 |
| 2014 | Apr 10 |
| 2015 | Apr 12 |
| 2016 | Apr 9 |
| 2017 | Mar 26 |
| 2018 | Apr 11 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 23 |
| 2021 | Apr 4 |
| 2022 | Mar 30 |
| 2023 | Apr 3 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 194 |
| 1998 | 205 |
| 1999 | 190 |
| 2000 | 223 |
| 2001 | 164 |
| 2002 | 180 |
| 2003 | 188 |
| 2004 | 193 |
| 2005 | 208 |
| 2006 | 207 |
| 2007 | 213 |
| 2008 | 189 |
| 2009 | 203 |
| 2010 | 218 |
| 2011 | 204 |
| 2012 | 213 |
| 2013 | 218 |
| 2014 | 218 |
| 2015 | 218 |
| 2016 | 226 |
| 2017 | 228 |
| 2018 | 190 |
| 2019 | 220 |
| 2020 | 190 |
| 2021 | 214 |
| 2022 | 229 |
| 2023 | 212 |
| 2024 | 217 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 16.3 °C |
| 1998 | 16.4 °C |
| 1999 | 17.0 °C |
| 2000 | 15.6 °C |
| 2001 | 16.5 °C |
| 2002 | 16.6 °C |
| 2003 | 15.7 °C |
| 2004 | 15.8 °C |
| 2005 | 15.9 °C |
| 2006 | 17.1 °C |
| 2007 | 17.0 °C |
| 2008 | 17.1 °C |
| 2009 | 16.0 °C |
| 2010 | 18.1 °C |
| 2011 | 17.7 °C |
| 2012 | 17.6 °C |
| 2013 | 17.1 °C |
| 2014 | 16.4 °C |
| 2015 | 16.9 °C |
| 2016 | 17.1 °C |
| 2017 | 17.0 °C |
| 2018 | 17.3 °C |
| 2019 | 16.9 °C |
| 2020 | 17.1 °C |
| 2021 | 17.6 °C |
| 2022 | 18.4 °C |
| 2023 | 19.0 °C |
| 2024 | 17.7 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Chatham Muni Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.