When to plant in Stonington, ME
Planting dates worked out from Stonington's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 21
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 10
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 8
1 year in 10 by Sep 26
Frost-free days
150
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Belfast · 37.0 km away · station 36 m, town 22 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 26 – Apr 9 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 15 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 12 – Mar 26 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 20 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 14 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 2 | May 28 |
| Peas | — | Apr 18 – May 16 | Jun 12 |
| Bush beans | — | May 14 – Jun 4 | Jul 3 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 26 |
| Beet | — | Apr 27 – Jun 8 | Jun 16 |
| Potato | — | Apr 27 – May 18 | Jul 6 |
| Kale | Mar 14 – Mar 28 | Apr 25 – May 9 | Jun 7 |
| Broccoli | Mar 7 – Mar 21 | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jun 17 |
| Cucumber | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 10 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 5 |
| Winter squash | Apr 23 – Apr 30 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Aug 9 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 14 – Jun 4 | Jul 13 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 18 – May 9 | Jul 17 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 24 – Oct 22 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 18 – May 16 | May 26 |
| Basil | Apr 9 – Apr 23 | May 21 – Jun 4 | Jul 17 |
Stonington'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 |
|---|---|
| 1902 | May 15 |
| 1903 | May 25 |
| 1904 | May 2 |
| 1945 | May 3 |
| 1946 | May 5 |
| 1947 | May 16 |
| 1948 | May 21 |
| 1949 | May 16 |
| 1950 | May 8 |
| 1951 | May 19 |
| 1952 | May 6 |
| 1953 | May 3 |
| 1954 | Apr 29 |
| 1955 | May 1 |
| 1956 | May 26 |
| 1957 | May 19 |
| 1958 | May 16 |
| 1959 | May 9 |
| 1960 | May 3 |
| 1961 | May 6 |
| 1962 | May 13 |
| 1963 | May 13 |
| 1964 | May 6 |
| 1965 | May 8 |
| 1966 | May 8 |
| 1967 | May 14 |
| 1968 | May 8 |
| 1969 | May 2 |
| 1970 | Apr 30 |
| 1971 | May 2 |
| 1972 | May 26 |
| 1973 | May 8 |
| 1974 | May 10 |
| 1975 | May 9 |
| 1976 | Apr 25 |
| 1977 | May 28 |
| 1978 | May 6 |
| 1979 | Apr 25 |
| 1980 | May 5 |
| 1981 | May 19 |
| 1982 | May 2 |
| 1983 | Apr 23 |
| 1984 | Apr 29 |
| 1985 | May 9 |
| 1986 | May 10 |
| 1987 | May 9 |
| 1988 | May 9 |
| 1989 | May 1 |
| 1990 | May 7 |
| 1991 | Apr 24 |
| 1992 | May 26 |
| 1993 | May 15 |
| 1994 | May 28 |
| 1996 | May 16 |
| 1997 | May 9 |
| 1998 | May 13 |
| 1999 | May 16 |
| 2000 | May 3 |
| 2001 | Apr 30 |
| 2002 | May 20 |
| 2003 | May 16 |
| 2004 | Apr 29 |
| 2005 | May 14 |
| 2006 | May 9 |
| 2007 | May 7 |
| 2008 | May 3 |
| 2009 | Apr 30 |
| 2010 | May 14 |
| 2011 | May 2 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 6 |
| 2014 | Apr 30 |
| 2015 | May 3 |
| 2016 | May 10 |
| 2017 | May 30 |
| 2018 | May 12 |
| 2019 | May 9 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | May 7 |
| 2022 | May 9 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1902 | 147 |
| 1903 | 127 |
| 1945 | 150 |
| 1946 | 130 |
| 1947 | 133 |
| 1948 | 118 |
| 1949 | 138 |
| 1950 | 136 |
| 1951 | 133 |
| 1952 | 155 |
| 1953 | 143 |
| 1954 | 161 |
| 1955 | 135 |
| 1956 | 123 |
| 1957 | 154 |
| 1958 | 140 |
| 1959 | 158 |
| 1960 | 151 |
| 1961 | 162 |
| 1962 | 131 |
| 1963 | 123 |
| 1964 | 137 |
| 1967 | 146 |
| 1968 | 167 |
| 1969 | 166 |
| 1970 | 169 |
| 1971 | 159 |
| 1972 | 137 |
| 1973 | 155 |
| 1974 | 137 |
| 1975 | 148 |
| 1976 | 169 |
| 1977 | 132 |
| 1978 | 143 |
| 1979 | 167 |
| 1980 | 142 |
| 1981 | 138 |
| 1982 | 160 |
| 1983 | 167 |
| 1984 | 159 |
| 1985 | 156 |
| 1986 | 150 |
| 1987 | 155 |
| 1988 | 150 |
| 1989 | 161 |
| 1990 | 166 |
| 1991 | 158 |
| 1992 | 120 |
| 1993 | 137 |
| 1994 | 136 |
| 1996 | 140 |
| 1997 | 146 |
| 1998 | 145 |
| 1999 | 144 |
| 2000 | 148 |
| 2001 | 161 |
| 2002 | 136 |
| 2003 | 142 |
| 2004 | 159 |
| 2005 | 159 |
| 2006 | 150 |
| 2007 | 171 |
| 2008 | 167 |
| 2009 | 148 |
| 2010 | 152 |
| 2011 | 157 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 169 |
| 2014 | 183 |
| 2015 | 166 |
| 2016 | 157 |
| 2017 | 125 |
| 2018 | 153 |
| 2019 | 149 |
| 2020 | 133 |
| 2021 | 169 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1901 | 15.0 °C |
| 1902 | 13.4 °C |
| 1903 | 13.5 °C |
| 1904 | 13.7 °C |
| 1946 | 14.4 °C |
| 1947 | 14.5 °C |
| 1948 | 14.1 °C |
| 1949 | 15.5 °C |
| 1950 | 14.1 °C |
| 1951 | 15.1 °C |
| 1952 | 15.5 °C |
| 1953 | 14.9 °C |
| 1954 | 14.1 °C |
| 1955 | 15.7 °C |
| 1956 | 13.4 °C |
| 1957 | 15.0 °C |
| 1958 | 14.3 °C |
| 1959 | 15.1 °C |
| 1960 | 15.2 °C |
| 1961 | 15.1 °C |
| 1962 | 14.2 °C |
| 1963 | 15.0 °C |
| 1964 | 14.6 °C |
| 1967 | 14.4 °C |
| 1968 | 15.6 °C |
| 1969 | 15.5 °C |
| 1970 | 15.8 °C |
| 1971 | 15.7 °C |
| 1972 | 15.1 °C |
| 1973 | 15.8 °C |
| 1974 | 14.8 °C |
| 1975 | 15.4 °C |
| 1976 | 16.0 °C |
| 1977 | 15.1 °C |
| 1978 | 15.3 °C |
| 1979 | 15.4 °C |
| 1980 | 14.6 °C |
| 1981 | 15.2 °C |
| 1983 | 15.4 °C |
| 1984 | 15.5 °C |
| 1986 | 13.9 °C |
| 1987 | 14.8 °C |
| 1988 | 15.1 °C |
| 1989 | 14.4 °C |
| 1990 | 15.0 °C |
| 1992 | 13.9 °C |
| 1993 | 15.0 °C |
| 1994 | 15.1 °C |
| 1996 | 14.5 °C |
| 1997 | 14.2 °C |
| 1998 | 15.3 °C |
| 1999 | 16.3 °C |
| 2000 | 14.4 °C |
| 2001 | 15.7 °C |
| 2002 | 15.1 °C |
| 2003 | 14.6 °C |
| 2004 | 14.5 °C |
| 2005 | 14.9 °C |
| 2006 | 15.4 °C |
| 2007 | 14.6 °C |
| 2008 | 15.0 °C |
| 2009 | 13.8 °C |
| 2010 | 15.5 °C |
| 2011 | 14.7 °C |
| 2012 | 14.8 °C |
| 2013 | 14.4 °C |
| 2014 | 14.3 °C |
| 2015 | 14.6 °C |
| 2016 | 14.8 °C |
| 2017 | 14.6 °C |
| 2018 | 14.8 °C |
| 2019 | 14.0 °C |
| 2020 | 14.4 °C |
| 2021 | 15.8 °C |
| 2022 | 15.5 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1902, Stonington's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Belfast (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.