When to plant in Kittery Point, ME
Planting dates worked out from Kittery Point's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 20
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 7
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 9
1 year in 10 by Sep 28
Frost-free days
151
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Greenland · 11.7 km away · station 29 m, town 13 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 25 – Apr 8 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 14 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 11 – Mar 25 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 19 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 5 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 19 |
| Peas | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 31 |
| Bush beans | — | May 13 – Jun 3 | Jul 2 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 16 |
| Beet | — | Apr 17 – May 29 | Jun 6 |
| Potato | — | Apr 17 – May 8 | Jun 26 |
| Kale | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 26 |
| Broccoli | Feb 26 – Mar 12 | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jun 8 |
| Cucumber | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 9 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 4 |
| Winter squash | Apr 22 – Apr 29 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Aug 8 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 13 – Jun 3 | Jul 12 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 9 – Apr 30 | Jul 8 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 25 – Oct 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 14 |
| Basil | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 16 |
Kittery Point'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 |
|---|---|
| 1975 | May 1 |
| 1976 | Apr 15 |
| 1977 | May 16 |
| 1978 | May 6 |
| 1979 | May 7 |
| 1980 | May 3 |
| 1981 | May 20 |
| 1982 | May 6 |
| 1983 | May 19 |
| 1984 | May 19 |
| 1985 | May 30 |
| 1986 | May 17 |
| 1987 | May 21 |
| 1988 | May 9 |
| 1989 | Apr 29 |
| 1990 | May 24 |
| 1991 | May 19 |
| 1992 | May 26 |
| 1993 | Apr 29 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | May 9 |
| 1996 | May 29 |
| 1997 | May 5 |
| 1998 | May 14 |
| 1999 | May 14 |
| 2000 | May 3 |
| 2001 | May 8 |
| 2002 | May 21 |
| 2003 | May 18 |
| 2004 | May 8 |
| 2005 | May 13 |
| 2006 | Apr 30 |
| 2007 | May 14 |
| 2008 | May 11 |
| 2009 | Apr 30 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 22 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 15 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 30 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 24 |
| 2019 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 23 |
| 2022 | Apr 21 |
| 2023 | May 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 27 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 161 |
| 1976 | 162 |
| 1977 | 144 |
| 1978 | 130 |
| 1979 | 135 |
| 1980 | 144 |
| 1981 | 132 |
| 1982 | 149 |
| 1983 | 128 |
| 1984 | 110 |
| 1985 | 130 |
| 1986 | 120 |
| 1987 | 127 |
| 1988 | 129 |
| 1989 | 148 |
| 1990 | 149 |
| 1991 | 125 |
| 1992 | 121 |
| 1993 | 143 |
| 1994 | 170 |
| 1995 | 142 |
| 1996 | 127 |
| 1997 | 150 |
| 1998 | 142 |
| 1999 | 144 |
| 2000 | 148 |
| 2001 | 153 |
| 2002 | 146 |
| 2003 | 140 |
| 2004 | 150 |
| 2005 | 160 |
| 2006 | 166 |
| 2007 | 155 |
| 2008 | 148 |
| 2009 | 163 |
| 2010 | 154 |
| 2011 | 166 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 151 |
| 2016 | 163 |
| 2017 | 175 |
| 2018 | 177 |
| 2019 | 168 |
| 2021 | 193 |
| 2022 | 189 |
| 2023 | 165 |
| 2024 | 172 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1975 | 16.5 °C |
| 1976 | 16.6 °C |
| 1977 | 16.2 °C |
| 1978 | 15.4 °C |
| 1979 | 16.0 °C |
| 1980 | 16.5 °C |
| 1981 | 16.5 °C |
| 1982 | 15.0 °C |
| 1983 | 16.1 °C |
| 1984 | 16.1 °C |
| 1985 | 15.9 °C |
| 1986 | 15.1 °C |
| 1987 | 15.8 °C |
| 1988 | 16.3 °C |
| 1989 | 15.6 °C |
| 1990 | 15.7 °C |
| 1991 | 17.1 °C |
| 1992 | 15.6 °C |
| 1993 | 16.7 °C |
| 1994 | 17.0 °C |
| 1995 | 16.1 °C |
| 1996 | 15.8 °C |
| 1997 | 16.0 °C |
| 1998 | 16.8 °C |
| 1999 | 17.4 °C |
| 2000 | 15.9 °C |
| 2001 | 16.7 °C |
| 2002 | 17.3 °C |
| 2003 | 16.1 °C |
| 2004 | 16.6 °C |
| 2005 | 16.9 °C |
| 2006 | 16.7 °C |
| 2007 | 16.1 °C |
| 2008 | 16.2 °C |
| 2009 | 16.0 °C |
| 2010 | 17.8 °C |
| 2011 | 17.2 °C |
| 2012 | 17.6 °C |
| 2013 | 17.0 °C |
| 2014 | 16.3 °C |
| 2016 | 16.8 °C |
| 2017 | 16.5 °C |
| 2018 | 17.0 °C |
| 2019 | 16.4 °C |
| 2021 | 17.3 °C |
| 2022 | 17.1 °C |
| 2023 | 16.7 °C |
| 2024 | 17.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1975, Kittery Point's last spring frost has come about 3 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 Greenland (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.