When to plant in Pomona, NJ
Planting dates worked out from Pomona's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 11
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 23
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 23
1 year in 10 by Oct 8
Frost-free days
184
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Atlantic City Intl Ap · 3.0 km away · station 18 m, town 20 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 16 – Mar 30 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 5 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 10 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 19 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 5 |
| Peas | — | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | May 12 |
| Bush beans | — | May 4 – May 25 | Jun 23 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 2 – May 14 | Jun 1 |
| Beet | — | Mar 30 – May 11 | May 19 |
| Potato | — | Apr 2 – Apr 23 | Jun 11 |
| Kale | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 9 | May 8 |
| Broccoli | Feb 12 – Feb 26 | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | May 25 |
| Cucumber | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 11 – May 25 | Jun 30 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 11 – May 25 | Jun 25 |
| Winter squash | Apr 13 – Apr 20 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 30 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 4 – May 25 | Jul 3 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 26 – Apr 16 | Jun 24 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 9 – Nov 6 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Apr 25 |
| Basil | Mar 30 – Apr 13 | May 11 – May 25 | Jul 7 |
Pomona'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 |
|---|---|
| 1959 | Apr 13 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | Apr 21 |
| 1962 | Apr 17 |
| 1963 | Apr 6 |
| 1964 | Apr 5 |
| 1965 | Apr 21 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 13 |
| 1968 | Apr 12 |
| 1969 | Apr 21 |
| 1970 | Apr 13 |
| 1971 | Apr 18 |
| 1972 | Apr 28 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | Apr 7 |
| 1975 | Apr 23 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | Apr 10 |
| 1978 | May 2 |
| 1979 | Apr 11 |
| 1980 | Apr 23 |
| 1981 | May 9 |
| 1982 | Apr 23 |
| 1983 | Apr 20 |
| 1984 | Apr 10 |
| 1985 | Apr 10 |
| 1986 | Apr 23 |
| 1987 | May 1 |
| 1988 | Apr 26 |
| 1989 | Apr 25 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | May 20 |
| 1992 | May 21 |
| 1993 | Apr 28 |
| 1994 | May 14 |
| 1995 | Apr 17 |
| 1996 | Apr 15 |
| 1997 | May 8 |
| 1998 | Apr 13 |
| 1999 | Apr 25 |
| 2000 | Apr 14 |
| 2001 | Apr 26 |
| 2002 | Apr 24 |
| 2003 | May 5 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | Apr 17 |
| 2006 | Apr 11 |
| 2007 | Apr 21 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 17 |
| 2010 | May 11 |
| 2011 | Mar 30 |
| 2012 | Apr 28 |
| 2013 | Apr 22 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2015 | Apr 25 |
| 2016 | Apr 16 |
| 2017 | Apr 9 |
| 2018 | Apr 21 |
| 2019 | Apr 2 |
| 2020 | Apr 19 |
| 2021 | Apr 3 |
| 2022 | Apr 18 |
| 2023 | Apr 10 |
| 2024 | Apr 26 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 198 |
| 1960 | 197 |
| 1961 | 189 |
| 1962 | 190 |
| 1963 | 220 |
| 1964 | 188 |
| 1965 | 166 |
| 1966 | 169 |
| 1967 | 133 |
| 1968 | 176 |
| 1969 | 161 |
| 1970 | 217 |
| 1971 | 200 |
| 1972 | 174 |
| 1973 | 204 |
| 1974 | 178 |
| 1975 | 162 |
| 1976 | 165 |
| 1977 | 215 |
| 1978 | 159 |
| 1979 | 181 |
| 1980 | 172 |
| 1981 | 163 |
| 1982 | 176 |
| 1983 | 192 |
| 1984 | 210 |
| 1985 | 201 |
| 1986 | 166 |
| 1987 | 174 |
| 1988 | 165 |
| 1989 | 166 |
| 1990 | 190 |
| 1991 | 146 |
| 1992 | 138 |
| 1993 | 178 |
| 1994 | 150 |
| 1995 | 200 |
| 1996 | 179 |
| 1997 | 146 |
| 1998 | 204 |
| 1999 | 172 |
| 2000 | 178 |
| 2001 | 164 |
| 2002 | 190 |
| 2003 | 150 |
| 2004 | 205 |
| 2005 | 207 |
| 2006 | 186 |
| 2007 | 200 |
| 2008 | 188 |
| 2009 | 202 |
| 2010 | 173 |
| 2011 | 213 |
| 2012 | 167 |
| 2013 | 186 |
| 2014 | 177 |
| 2015 | 175 |
| 2016 | 192 |
| 2017 | 214 |
| 2018 | 183 |
| 2019 | 215 |
| 2020 | 194 |
| 2021 | 215 |
| 2022 | 183 |
| 2023 | 204 |
| 2024 | 184 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1959 | 20.1 °C |
| 1960 | 19.6 °C |
| 1961 | 19.5 °C |
| 1962 | 18.9 °C |
| 1963 | 18.9 °C |
| 1964 | 19.4 °C |
| 1965 | 18.7 °C |
| 1966 | 18.1 °C |
| 1967 | 17.5 °C |
| 1968 | 18.8 °C |
| 1969 | 19.0 °C |
| 1970 | 19.0 °C |
| 1971 | 17.9 °C |
| 1972 | 18.3 °C |
| 1973 | 19.3 °C |
| 1974 | 19.1 °C |
| 1975 | 18.4 °C |
| 1976 | 18.1 °C |
| 1977 | 19.4 °C |
| 1978 | 18.1 °C |
| 1979 | 18.7 °C |
| 1980 | 18.4 °C |
| 1981 | 18.9 °C |
| 1982 | 19.0 °C |
| 1983 | 19.8 °C |
| 1984 | 19.5 °C |
| 1985 | 20.1 °C |
| 1986 | 19.1 °C |
| 1987 | 19.1 °C |
| 1988 | 18.8 °C |
| 1989 | 18.9 °C |
| 1990 | 18.7 °C |
| 1991 | 20.1 °C |
| 1992 | 17.7 °C |
| 1993 | 19.1 °C |
| 1994 | 19.0 °C |
| 1995 | 18.8 °C |
| 1996 | 18.7 °C |
| 1997 | 17.9 °C |
| 1998 | 19.7 °C |
| 1999 | 19.5 °C |
| 2000 | 18.6 °C |
| 2001 | 19.4 °C |
| 2002 | 20.0 °C |
| 2003 | 18.8 °C |
| 2004 | 19.7 °C |
| 2005 | 19.8 °C |
| 2006 | 19.9 °C |
| 2007 | 19.7 °C |
| 2008 | 20.1 °C |
| 2009 | 19.6 °C |
| 2010 | 21.6 °C |
| 2011 | 21.4 °C |
| 2012 | 20.2 °C |
| 2013 | 19.2 °C |
| 2014 | 18.9 °C |
| 2015 | 20.6 °C |
| 2016 | 20.1 °C |
| 2017 | 20.4 °C |
| 2018 | 21.1 °C |
| 2019 | 21.2 °C |
| 2020 | 20.2 °C |
| 2021 | 20.4 °C |
| 2022 | 20.3 °C |
| 2023 | 19.7 °C |
| 2024 | 20.6 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1959, Pomona'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 Atlantic City Intl Ap (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.