When to plant in Mount Arlington, NJ

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

Safe to plant out
May 12
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 25
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 20
1 year in 10 by Oct 5
Frost-free days
178
median, 1991–2020

Station used: Schooley's Mtn 1 Sw · 22.7 km away · station 301 m, town 309 m. How we match towns to stations

This season

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Planting dates for common crops

CropStart indoorsPlant out or sowHarvest from
Tomato Mar 17 – Mar 31 May 12 – May 26 Jul 6
Sweet pepper Mar 3 – Mar 17 May 12 – May 26 Jul 11
Lettuce (leaf) Feb 27 – Mar 6 Apr 3 – Apr 17 May 13
Peas — Apr 3 – May 1 May 28
Bush beans — May 5 – May 26 Jun 24
Carrot — Apr 11 – May 23 Jun 10
Beet — Apr 11 – May 23 May 31
Potato — Apr 11 – May 2 Jun 20
Kale Feb 27 – Mar 13 Apr 10 – Apr 24 May 23
Broccoli Feb 20 – Mar 6 Apr 3 – Apr 24 Jun 2
Cucumber Apr 14 – Apr 21 May 12 – May 26 Jul 1
Summer squash and zucchini Apr 14 – Apr 21 May 12 – May 26 Jun 26
Winter squash Apr 14 – Apr 21 May 12 – May 26 Jul 31
Sweet corn — May 5 – May 26 Jul 4
Onion (from sets) — Apr 3 – Apr 24 Jul 2
Garlic — Oct 6 – Nov 3 (fall) following summer
Spinach — Apr 3 – May 1 May 11
Basil Mar 31 – Apr 14 May 12 – May 26 Jul 8

Plan all 65 crops for Mount Arlington

Mount Arlington's weather over time

How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.

Apr 15May 1May 15 200020102020
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
YearLast spring frost
1995Apr 12
1996May 14
1997Apr 21
1998Apr 28
1999Apr 24
2000Apr 14
2001Apr 20
2002May 22
2003Apr 19
2004Apr 28
2005May 3
2006Apr 26
2007Apr 17
2008Apr 15
2009Apr 17
2010May 11
2011Apr 22
2012Apr 30
2013Apr 22
2014Apr 22
2015Apr 26
2016Apr 15
2017Apr 9
2018Apr 22
2019Apr 29
2020May 13
2021Apr 23
2022Apr 30
2023May 18
2024Apr 26
2025Apr 13
2026Apr 22

What this means for you: Since 1995, Mount Arlington's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 4 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.

Source: daily records from Schooley's Mtn 1 Sw (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.

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