When to plant in Salisbury, MA
Planting dates worked out from Salisbury's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 16
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 9
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 6
1 year in 10 by Sep 24
Frost-free days
150
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Groveland · 18.2 km away · station 9 m, town 9 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 21 – Apr 4 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 10 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 15 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 7 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 21 |
| Peas | — | Apr 5 – May 3 | May 30 |
| Bush beans | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jun 28 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 18 – May 30 | Jun 17 |
| Beet | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 4 |
| Potato | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 27 |
| Kale | Mar 1 – Mar 15 | Apr 12 – Apr 26 | May 25 |
| Broccoli | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jun 10 |
| Cucumber | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 5 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Jun 30 |
| Winter squash | Apr 18 – Apr 25 | May 16 – May 30 | Aug 4 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 9 – May 30 | Jul 8 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 11 – May 2 | Jul 10 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 22 – Oct 20 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 5 – May 3 | May 13 |
| Basil | Apr 4 – Apr 18 | May 16 – May 30 | Jul 12 |
Salisbury'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 |
|---|---|
| 1993 | May 15 |
| 1994 | May 28 |
| 1995 | May 9 |
| 1996 | May 15 |
| 1997 | May 5 |
| 1998 | May 14 |
| 1999 | May 14 |
| 2000 | May 3 |
| 2001 | May 8 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | May 5 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | May 1 |
| 2007 | May 7 |
| 2008 | May 11 |
| 2009 | Apr 30 |
| 2010 | May 13 |
| 2011 | May 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2015 | May 2 |
| 2016 | May 9 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 29 |
| 2020 | May 14 |
| 2021 | Apr 22 |
| 2022 | May 9 |
| 2023 | May 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 27 |
| 2025 | Apr 21 |
| 2026 | Apr 25 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 127 |
| 1994 | 135 |
| 1995 | 129 |
| 1996 | 141 |
| 1997 | 150 |
| 1998 | 142 |
| 1999 | 144 |
| 2000 | 148 |
| 2001 | 153 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2003 | 140 |
| 2004 | 153 |
| 2005 | 160 |
| 2006 | 159 |
| 2007 | 160 |
| 2008 | 148 |
| 2009 | 163 |
| 2010 | 152 |
| 2011 | 157 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 151 |
| 2014 | 147 |
| 2015 | 147 |
| 2016 | 139 |
| 2017 | 156 |
| 2018 | 176 |
| 2019 | 158 |
| 2020 | 156 |
| 2021 | 184 |
| 2022 | 152 |
| 2023 | 165 |
| 2024 | 172 |
| 2025 | 171 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1993 | 16.8 °C |
| 1994 | 17.1 °C |
| 1995 | 16.3 °C |
| 1996 | 16.5 °C |
| 1997 | 16.1 °C |
| 1998 | 17.3 °C |
| 1999 | 17.6 °C |
| 2000 | 16.1 °C |
| 2001 | 17.2 °C |
| 2002 | 17.4 °C |
| 2003 | 16.8 °C |
| 2004 | 16.9 °C |
| 2005 | 17.3 °C |
| 2006 | 17.2 °C |
| 2007 | 16.8 °C |
| 2008 | 16.6 °C |
| 2009 | 16.2 °C |
| 2010 | 18.3 °C |
| 2011 | 17.2 °C |
| 2012 | 17.2 °C |
| 2013 | 16.8 °C |
| 2014 | 16.2 °C |
| 2015 | 17.1 °C |
| 2016 | 17.0 °C |
| 2017 | 16.6 °C |
| 2018 | 17.4 °C |
| 2019 | 17.1 °C |
| 2020 | 17.3 °C |
| 2021 | 17.8 °C |
| 2022 | 17.9 °C |
| 2023 | 17.3 °C |
| 2024 | 17.7 °C |
| 2025 | 17.6 °C |
| 2026 | 17.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1993, Salisbury's last spring frost has come about 5 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 9 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Groveland (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.