When to plant in Houlton, ME

Planting dates worked out from Houlton's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.

Last spring frost

Early · riskyMay 139 years in 10 still get a later frost
TypicalMay 28about half of years get a later frost
Safe to plant outJun 121 year in 10 gets a later frost

Hardy crops like peas and spinach are timed from the typical date. Wait for the safe date before planting out tomatoes, peppers and squash.

First fall frost

EarlySep 81 year in 10 has frost by then
TypicalSep 15about half of years have had frost
LateSep 259 years in 10 have had frost by then

A typical year has 110 frost-free days. Plan for tender crops to be ripe by the early date.

Station used: Houlton Ap · 3.8 km away · station 146 m, town 110 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

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Planting dates for common crops

Crop	Start indoors	Plant out or sow	Harvest from
Tomato	Apr 17 – May 1	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 6
Sweet pepper	Apr 3 – Apr 17	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 11
Lettuce (leaf)	Mar 26 – Apr 2	Apr 30 – May 14	Jun 9
Peas	—	Apr 25 – May 23	Jun 19
Bush beans	—	Jun 5 – Jun 26	Jul 25
Carrot	—	May 7 – Jun 18	Jul 6
Beet	—	May 4 – Jun 15	Jun 23
Potato	—	May 7 – May 28	Jul 16
Kale	Mar 21 – Apr 4	May 2 – May 16	Jun 14
Broccoli	Mar 19 – Apr 2	Apr 30 – May 21	Jun 29
Cucumber	May 15 – May 22	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 1
Summer squash and zucchini	May 15 – May 22	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Jul 27
Winter squash	May 15 – May 22	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 31
Sweet corn	—	Jun 5 – Jun 26	Aug 4
Onion (from sets)	—	Apr 30 – May 21	Jul 29
Garlic	—	Sep 1 – Sep 29 (fall)	following summer
Spinach	—	Apr 25 – May 23	Jun 2
Basil	May 1 – May 15	Jun 12 – Jun 26	Aug 8

Plan all 65 crops for Houlton

Houlton'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
1949	Jun 1
1950	Jun 12
1951	Jun 10
1952	May 6
1953	Jun 4
1954	May 28
1955	May 21
1956	Jun 19
1957	Jun 9
1958	Jun 10
1959	May 17
1960	May 3
1961	May 24
1962	May 28
1963	May 24
1964	May 21
1965	May 21
1966	May 14
1967	Jun 1
1968	May 27
1969	Jul 7
1970	May 29
1971	Jun 11
1972	May 26
1973	Jun 3
1974	Jun 7
1975	Jun 9
1976	Jun 13
1977	May 28
1978	May 23
1979	Jun 26
1980	May 30
1981	May 21
1982	Jun 4
1983	May 19
1984	May 28
1988	Jun 7
1989	Jun 13
1990	Jun 12
1991	May 23
1992	Jun 16
1993	May 31
1994	May 28
1995	May 10
1996	May 28
1997	Jun 2
1998	Jun 2
1999	May 15
2000	Jun 12
2001	May 25
2002	Jun 14
2003	Jun 4
2004	Jun 12
2005	May 20
2006	May 9
2007	May 23
2008	May 30
2009	Jun 9
2010	May 21
2011	May 13
2012	May 7
2013	May 28
2014	May 29
2015	May 23
2016	May 18
2017	Jun 7
2018	Jun 4
2019	Jun 1
2020	Jun 2
2021	May 30
2022	May 24
2023	May 23
2024	May 12

Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Frost-free days
1949	100
1950	92
1951	107
1952	124
1953	110
1954	109
1955	114
1956	95
1957	123
1958	101
1959	119
1960	135
1961	115
1962	115
1963	103
1964	114
1965	101
1966	120
1967	102
1968	110
1969	68
1970	125
1971	82
1972	111
1973	109
1974	101
1975	96
1976	81
1977	102
1978	93
1979	85
1980	111
1981	137
1982	86
1983	117
1984	101
1988	100
1989	82
1990	110
1991	101
1992	88
1993	108
1994	110
1995	121
1996	120
1997	113
1998	107
1999	126
2000	84
2001	112
2002	91
2003	81
2004	93
2005	113
2006	124
2007	113
2008	103
2009	98
2010	119
2011	145
2012	135
2013	110
2014	106
2015	124
2016	128
2017	114
2018	95
2019	103
2020	101
2021	126
2022	128
2023	125
2024	148

Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend

See the data as a table

Year	Growing-season temperature
1949	14.1 °C
1950	12.7 °C
1951	13.4 °C
1952	14.2 °C
1953	13.5 °C
1954	12.3 °C
1955	13.3 °C
1956	11.3 °C
1957	12.9 °C
1958	12.5 °C
1959	13.9 °C
1960	13.9 °C
1961	13.4 °C
1962	12.3 °C
1963	12.7 °C
1964	12.5 °C
1965	12.6 °C
1966	12.6 °C
1967	13.1 °C
1968	13.2 °C
1969	12.6 °C
1970	14.3 °C
1971	13.7 °C
1972	13.2 °C
1973	14.5 °C
1974	12.5 °C
1975	13.6 °C
1976	13.6 °C
1977	11.9 °C
1978	13.0 °C
1979	13.7 °C
1980	13.4 °C
1981	13.6 °C
1982	12.9 °C
1983	13.9 °C
1984	13.2 °C
1988	13.8 °C
1989	13.0 °C
1990	13.1 °C
1991	13.4 °C
1992	12.7 °C
1993	13.2 °C
1994	13.3 °C
1995	12.9 °C
1996	13.2 °C
1997	12.6 °C
1998	14.1 °C
1999	15.1 °C
2000	12.6 °C
2001	13.6 °C
2002	13.1 °C
2003	13.2 °C
2004	12.7 °C
2005	13.6 °C
2006	14.1 °C
2007	12.8 °C
2008	13.2 °C
2009	13.1 °C
2010	14.6 °C
2011	13.6 °C
2012	14.3 °C
2013	13.4 °C
2014	13.7 °C
2015	13.9 °C
2016	13.6 °C
2017	14.0 °C
2018	13.5 °C
2019	12.7 °C
2020	13.9 °C
2021	14.6 °C
2022	14.2 °C
2023	14.3 °C
2024	14.9 °C

What this means for you: Since 1949, Houlton's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 1 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Houlton Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

Nearby towns

Hodgdon Patten Easton Presque Isle Fort Fairfield Medway