When to plant in Quincy, MA
Planting dates worked out from Quincy'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 26
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 7
Frost-free days
177
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Hingham · 7.9 km away · station 11 m, town 10 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 25 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 11 |
| Peas | — | Apr 1 – Apr 29 | May 26 |
| Bush beans | — | May 1 – May 22 | Jun 20 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 9 – May 21 | Jun 8 |
| Beet | — | Apr 9 – May 21 | May 29 |
| Potato | — | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jun 18 |
| Kale | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 21 |
| Broccoli | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | Apr 1 – Apr 22 | May 31 |
| 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 1 – Apr 22 | Jun 30 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 1 – Apr 29 | May 9 |
| Basil | Mar 27 – Apr 10 | May 8 – May 22 | Jul 4 |
Quincy'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 |
|---|---|
| 1961 | May 6 |
| 1962 | May 13 |
| 1963 | Apr 17 |
| 1964 | May 3 |
| 1965 | May 7 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 14 |
| 1968 | May 28 |
| 1969 | May 7 |
| 1970 | Apr 20 |
| 1971 | Apr 28 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | Apr 21 |
| 1974 | Apr 27 |
| 1975 | Apr 30 |
| 1976 | Apr 13 |
| 1977 | May 4 |
| 1978 | May 1 |
| 1979 | Apr 21 |
| 1980 | Apr 22 |
| 1981 | May 9 |
| 1982 | Apr 30 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 3 |
| 1985 | May 15 |
| 1986 | May 14 |
| 1987 | May 14 |
| 1988 | May 9 |
| 1989 | Apr 29 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 19 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 8 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | May 2 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | Apr 16 |
| 1998 | Apr 14 |
| 1999 | May 1 |
| 2000 | Apr 29 |
| 2001 | May 7 |
| 2002 | Apr 27 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | Apr 17 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | Apr 30 |
| 2007 | May 7 |
| 2008 | May 1 |
| 2009 | Apr 20 |
| 2010 | Apr 28 |
| 2011 | Apr 16 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2013 | May 5 |
| 2014 | Apr 21 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 27 |
| 2017 | Apr 19 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 5 |
| 2020 | Apr 29 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | Apr 21 |
| 2023 | Apr 10 |
| 2025 | Apr 18 |
| 2026 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 162 |
| 1962 | 131 |
| 1963 | 160 |
| 1964 | 139 |
| 1965 | 143 |
| 1966 | 138 |
| 1967 | 146 |
| 1968 | 130 |
| 1969 | 161 |
| 1970 | 182 |
| 1971 | 190 |
| 1972 | 137 |
| 1973 | 169 |
| 1974 | 164 |
| 1975 | 162 |
| 1976 | 181 |
| 1977 | 172 |
| 1978 | 160 |
| 1979 | 173 |
| 1980 | 175 |
| 1981 | 154 |
| 1982 | 163 |
| 1983 | 151 |
| 1984 | 155 |
| 1985 | 158 |
| 1986 | 145 |
| 1987 | 152 |
| 1988 | 150 |
| 1989 | 163 |
| 1990 | 184 |
| 1991 | 184 |
| 1992 | 147 |
| 1993 | 185 |
| 1995 | 186 |
| 1996 | 144 |
| 1997 | 184 |
| 1998 | 175 |
| 1999 | 159 |
| 2000 | 202 |
| 2001 | 154 |
| 2002 | 177 |
| 2003 | 141 |
| 2004 | 171 |
| 2005 | 173 |
| 2006 | 168 |
| 2007 | 175 |
| 2008 | 174 |
| 2009 | 182 |
| 2010 | 186 |
| 2011 | 194 |
| 2012 | 182 |
| 2013 | 173 |
| 2014 | 200 |
| 2015 | 176 |
| 2016 | 182 |
| 2017 | 195 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 210 |
| 2020 | 171 |
| 2021 | 194 |
| 2022 | 190 |
| 2023 | 204 |
| 2025 | 191 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1961 | 16.9 °C |
| 1962 | 16.0 °C |
| 1963 | 16.6 °C |
| 1964 | 16.3 °C |
| 1965 | 16.6 °C |
| 1966 | 16.3 °C |
| 1967 | 15.9 °C |
| 1968 | 16.6 °C |
| 1969 | 17.1 °C |
| 1970 | 17.1 °C |
| 1971 | 17.0 °C |
| 1972 | 16.1 °C |
| 1973 | 17.5 °C |
| 1974 | 16.8 °C |
| 1975 | 16.7 °C |
| 1976 | 17.5 °C |
| 1977 | 17.4 °C |
| 1978 | 16.4 °C |
| 1979 | 17.1 °C |
| 1980 | 17.4 °C |
| 1981 | 17.2 °C |
| 1982 | 15.8 °C |
| 1983 | 17.3 °C |
| 1984 | 16.7 °C |
| 1985 | 16.6 °C |
| 1986 | 16.1 °C |
| 1987 | 16.7 °C |
| 1988 | 17.0 °C |
| 1989 | 16.8 °C |
| 1990 | 16.8 °C |
| 1991 | 17.8 °C |
| 1992 | 15.9 °C |
| 1993 | 17.4 °C |
| 1994 | 17.9 °C |
| 1995 | 16.9 °C |
| 1996 | 16.9 °C |
| 1997 | 16.7 °C |
| 1998 | 17.5 °C |
| 1999 | 18.1 °C |
| 2000 | 16.7 °C |
| 2001 | 17.9 °C |
| 2002 | 18.0 °C |
| 2003 | 16.9 °C |
| 2004 | 17.4 °C |
| 2005 | 17.8 °C |
| 2006 | 17.5 °C |
| 2007 | 17.7 °C |
| 2008 | 17.6 °C |
| 2009 | 17.3 °C |
| 2010 | 19.3 °C |
| 2011 | 18.0 °C |
| 2012 | 18.4 °C |
| 2013 | 18.0 °C |
| 2014 | 17.9 °C |
| 2015 | 18.5 °C |
| 2016 | 18.5 °C |
| 2017 | 18.2 °C |
| 2018 | 18.8 °C |
| 2019 | 17.9 °C |
| 2020 | 18.2 °C |
| 2021 | 18.4 °C |
| 2022 | 18.9 °C |
| 2023 | 18.1 °C |
| 2024 | 18.5 °C |
| 2025 | 17.9 °C |
| 2026 | 18.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1961, Quincy's last spring frost has come about 3 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 7 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Hingham (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.