When to plant in Buena, NJ
Planting dates worked out from Buena's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 19
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
May 1
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 18
1 year in 10 by Oct 5
Frost-free days
172
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Estell Manor · 16.7 km away · station 26 m, town 30 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 24 – Apr 7 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 13 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 10 – Mar 24 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 18 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 13 |
| Peas | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | May 14 |
| Bush beans | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 1 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 10 – May 22 | Jun 9 |
| Beet | — | Apr 3 – May 15 | May 23 |
| Potato | — | Apr 10 – May 1 | Jun 19 |
| Kale | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 16 |
| Broccoli | Feb 20 – Mar 6 | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jun 2 |
| Cucumber | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 8 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 3 |
| Winter squash | Apr 21 – Apr 28 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Aug 7 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 12 – Jun 2 | Jul 11 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 3 – Apr 24 | Jul 2 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 4 – Nov 1 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 20 – Apr 17 | Apr 27 |
| Basil | Apr 7 – Apr 21 | May 19 – Jun 2 | Jul 15 |
Buena'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 |
|---|---|
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 13 |
| 1968 | May 1 |
| 1969 | Apr 25 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1971 | May 1 |
| 1972 | Apr 29 |
| 1973 | Apr 16 |
| 1974 | May 8 |
| 1975 | Apr 28 |
| 1976 | May 4 |
| 1977 | Apr 18 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | Apr 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 23 |
| 1981 | May 8 |
| 1982 | Apr 29 |
| 1983 | May 10 |
| 1984 | Apr 12 |
| 1985 | Apr 18 |
| 1986 | May 4 |
| 1987 | May 1 |
| 1988 | Apr 26 |
| 1989 | Apr 24 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | May 20 |
| 1992 | May 21 |
| 1993 | Apr 29 |
| 1994 | May 14 |
| 1995 | Apr 17 |
| 1996 | May 14 |
| 1997 | May 8 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Apr 29 |
| 2000 | May 1 |
| 2001 | May 7 |
| 2002 | May 22 |
| 2003 | May 5 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | May 5 |
| 2006 | May 2 |
| 2007 | May 8 |
| 2008 | Apr 30 |
| 2009 | May 19 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Apr 6 |
| 2012 | Apr 28 |
| 2013 | May 14 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 10 |
| 2018 | Apr 23 |
| 2019 | Apr 3 |
| 2020 | May 10 |
| 2021 | Apr 4 |
| 2022 | Apr 30 |
| 2023 | Apr 19 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
| 2025 | Apr 17 |
| 2026 | Apr 21 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 183 |
| 1966 | 159 |
| 1967 | 159 |
| 1968 | 157 |
| 1969 | 173 |
| 1970 | 193 |
| 1971 | 187 |
| 1972 | 163 |
| 1973 | 184 |
| 1974 | 147 |
| 1975 | 185 |
| 1976 | 160 |
| 1977 | 182 |
| 1978 | 159 |
| 1979 | 181 |
| 1980 | 173 |
| 1981 | 164 |
| 1982 | 164 |
| 1983 | 172 |
| 1984 | 177 |
| 1985 | 193 |
| 1986 | 192 |
| 1987 | 166 |
| 1988 | 163 |
| 1989 | 168 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 146 |
| 1992 | 138 |
| 1993 | 177 |
| 1994 | 144 |
| 1995 | 182 |
| 1996 | 143 |
| 1997 | 146 |
| 1998 | 171 |
| 1999 | 161 |
| 2000 | 159 |
| 2001 | 153 |
| 2002 | 162 |
| 2003 | 150 |
| 2004 | 172 |
| 2005 | 174 |
| 2006 | 164 |
| 2007 | 173 |
| 2008 | 172 |
| 2009 | 152 |
| 2010 | 173 |
| 2011 | 206 |
| 2012 | 167 |
| 2013 | 163 |
| 2014 | 177 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 192 |
| 2017 | 214 |
| 2018 | 178 |
| 2019 | 198 |
| 2020 | 173 |
| 2021 | 212 |
| 2022 | 171 |
| 2023 | 196 |
| 2024 | 172 |
| 2025 | 203 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1965 | 20.0 °C |
| 1966 | 20.0 °C |
| 1967 | 19.8 °C |
| 1968 | 18.9 °C |
| 1969 | 19.2 °C |
| 1970 | 19.0 °C |
| 1971 | 18.7 °C |
| 1972 | 18.4 °C |
| 1973 | 19.9 °C |
| 1974 | 18.3 °C |
| 1975 | 18.6 °C |
| 1976 | 19.0 °C |
| 1977 | 19.3 °C |
| 1978 | 18.2 °C |
| 1979 | 18.4 °C |
| 1980 | 19.4 °C |
| 1981 | 19.0 °C |
| 1982 | 18.4 °C |
| 1983 | 19.0 °C |
| 1984 | 18.4 °C |
| 1985 | 19.6 °C |
| 1986 | 19.7 °C |
| 1987 | 19.6 °C |
| 1988 | 19.2 °C |
| 1989 | 19.4 °C |
| 1990 | 18.9 °C |
| 1991 | 20.2 °C |
| 1992 | 18.2 °C |
| 1993 | 19.9 °C |
| 1994 | 19.6 °C |
| 1995 | 19.0 °C |
| 1996 | 18.7 °C |
| 1997 | 18.1 °C |
| 1998 | 19.8 °C |
| 1999 | 19.5 °C |
| 2000 | 18.8 °C |
| 2001 | 19.1 °C |
| 2002 | 20.0 °C |
| 2003 | 18.9 °C |
| 2004 | 19.9 °C |
| 2005 | 19.7 °C |
| 2006 | 19.8 °C |
| 2007 | 19.3 °C |
| 2008 | 19.3 °C |
| 2009 | 18.9 °C |
| 2010 | 21.0 °C |
| 2011 | 21.0 °C |
| 2012 | 20.1 °C |
| 2013 | 19.2 °C |
| 2014 | 18.7 °C |
| 2015 | 20.1 °C |
| 2016 | 20.2 °C |
| 2017 | 20.1 °C |
| 2018 | 20.7 °C |
| 2019 | 20.8 °C |
| 2020 | 19.7 °C |
| 2021 | 20.4 °C |
| 2022 | 20.5 °C |
| 2023 | 20.3 °C |
| 2024 | 20.5 °C |
| 2025 | 20.3 °C |
| 2026 | 20.7 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1965, Buena's last spring frost has come about 1 day earlier per decade, on average. 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 Estell Manor (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.