When to plant in Manchester, MI
Planting dates worked out from Manchester'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 6
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 12
1 year in 10 by Oct 2
Frost-free days
161
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Chelsea · 19.7 km away · station 274 m, town 274 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 4 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 18 |
| Peas | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 29 |
| Bush beans | — | May 13 – Jun 3 | Jul 2 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 14 |
| Beet | — | Apr 14 – May 26 | Jun 3 |
| Potato | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 24 |
| Kale | Feb 28 – Mar 14 | Apr 11 – Apr 25 | May 24 |
| Broccoli | Feb 25 – Mar 11 | Apr 8 – Apr 29 | Jun 7 |
| 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 8 – Apr 29 | Jul 7 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 28 – Oct 26 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 4 – May 2 | May 12 |
| Basil | Apr 8 – Apr 22 | May 20 – Jun 3 | Jul 16 |
Manchester'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 |
|---|---|
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | Apr 27 |
| 2005 | May 6 |
| 2006 | Apr 27 |
| 2007 | May 12 |
| 2008 | May 28 |
| 2009 | May 18 |
| 2010 | May 10 |
| 2011 | Apr 19 |
| 2013 | May 13 |
| 2014 | May 6 |
| 2015 | Apr 28 |
| 2016 | Apr 25 |
| 2017 | May 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 30 |
| 2019 | Apr 16 |
| 2020 | May 13 |
| 2021 | May 10 |
| 2022 | Apr 28 |
| 2023 | May 18 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
| 2025 | Apr 17 |
| 2026 | May 12 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 144 |
| 2003 | 157 |
| 2005 | 162 |
| 2006 | 161 |
| 2007 | 168 |
| 2008 | 128 |
| 2009 | 135 |
| 2010 | 161 |
| 2011 | 185 |
| 2013 | 161 |
| 2014 | 157 |
| 2015 | 171 |
| 2016 | 171 |
| 2017 | 169 |
| 2018 | 166 |
| 2019 | 181 |
| 2020 | 128 |
| 2021 | 166 |
| 2022 | 162 |
| 2023 | 157 |
| 2024 | 173 |
| 2025 | 175 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 17.8 °C |
| 2005 | 18.2 °C |
| 2006 | 17.4 °C |
| 2007 | 17.3 °C |
| 2008 | 17.1 °C |
| 2009 | 16.4 °C |
| 2010 | 18.4 °C |
| 2011 | 17.6 °C |
| 2012 | 18.2 °C |
| 2013 | 16.8 °C |
| 2014 | 16.8 °C |
| 2015 | 17.3 °C |
| 2016 | 17.6 °C |
| 2017 | 17.5 °C |
| 2018 | 17.9 °C |
| 2019 | 17.5 °C |
| 2020 | 17.1 °C |
| 2021 | 17.9 °C |
| 2022 | 17.6 °C |
| 2023 | 17.1 °C |
| 2024 | 18.6 °C |
| 2025 | 17.8 °C |
| 2026 | 18.1 °C |
What this means for you: This station's record is too short to show a reliable trend yet.
Source: daily records from Chelsea (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.