When to plant in Poultney, VT
Planting dates worked out from Poultney's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 15
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 9
1 year in 10 by Sep 22
Frost-free days
161
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Whitehall · 14.0 km away · station 36 m, town 131 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 20 – Apr 3 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 9 |
| Sweet pepper | Mar 6 – Mar 20 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 14 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Mar 2 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 20 | May 16 |
| Peas | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 31 |
| Bush beans | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jun 27 |
| Carrot | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 14 |
| Beet | — | Apr 15 – May 27 | Jun 4 |
| Potato | — | Apr 15 – May 6 | Jun 24 |
| Kale | Mar 2 – Mar 16 | Apr 13 – Apr 27 | May 26 |
| Broccoli | Feb 23 – Mar 9 | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jun 5 |
| Cucumber | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 4 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | May 15 – May 29 | Jun 29 |
| Winter squash | Apr 17 – Apr 24 | May 15 – May 29 | Aug 3 |
| Sweet corn | — | May 8 – May 29 | Jul 7 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Apr 6 – Apr 27 | Jul 5 |
| Garlic | — | Sep 25 – Oct 23 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 14 |
| Basil | Apr 3 – Apr 17 | May 15 – May 29 | Jul 11 |
Poultney'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 |
|---|---|
| 1943 | May 5 |
| 1944 | May 19 |
| 1945 | May 11 |
| 1946 | May 4 |
| 1947 | May 10 |
| 1948 | May 2 |
| 1949 | Jun 9 |
| 1950 | May 22 |
| 1951 | May 14 |
| 1952 | May 5 |
| 1953 | Apr 22 |
| 1954 | Apr 29 |
| 1955 | Apr 9 |
| 1956 | May 25 |
| 1957 | May 17 |
| 1958 | Jun 7 |
| 1959 | May 18 |
| 1960 | Apr 11 |
| 1961 | May 6 |
| 1962 | May 12 |
| 1963 | May 13 |
| 1964 | Apr 26 |
| 1965 | Apr 29 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | May 14 |
| 1968 | May 8 |
| 1969 | May 27 |
| 1970 | Apr 23 |
| 1971 | Apr 28 |
| 1972 | May 6 |
| 1973 | Apr 15 |
| 1974 | May 5 |
| 1975 | May 1 |
| 1976 | May 5 |
| 1977 | May 4 |
| 1978 | May 4 |
| 1979 | Apr 21 |
| 1980 | Apr 30 |
| 1981 | Apr 23 |
| 1982 | Apr 29 |
| 1983 | May 18 |
| 1984 | May 3 |
| 1985 | May 9 |
| 1986 | Apr 24 |
| 1989 | Apr 29 |
| 1990 | Apr 19 |
| 1991 | Apr 19 |
| 1992 | May 7 |
| 1993 | Apr 28 |
| 1994 | May 14 |
| 1995 | May 7 |
| 1996 | Apr 29 |
| 1997 | May 8 |
| 1998 | Apr 28 |
| 1999 | Apr 29 |
| 2000 | Apr 25 |
| 2001 | Apr 29 |
| 2002 | Apr 27 |
| 2003 | May 4 |
| 2004 | Apr 16 |
| 2005 | Apr 22 |
| 2006 | May 7 |
| 2008 | May 30 |
| 2009 | Apr 20 |
| 2010 | May 15 |
| 2011 | Apr 22 |
| 2012 | Apr 30 |
| 2013 | May 16 |
| 2014 | Apr 25 |
| 2020 | Apr 24 |
| 2021 | Apr 27 |
| 2022 | Apr 30 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 158 |
| 1944 | 137 |
| 1945 | 145 |
| 1946 | 162 |
| 1947 | 138 |
| 1948 | 154 |
| 1949 | 128 |
| 1950 | 125 |
| 1951 | 138 |
| 1952 | 155 |
| 1953 | 154 |
| 1954 | 161 |
| 1955 | 166 |
| 1956 | 125 |
| 1957 | 133 |
| 1958 | 120 |
| 1959 | 149 |
| 1960 | 173 |
| 1961 | 151 |
| 1962 | 131 |
| 1963 | 133 |
| 1964 | 162 |
| 1965 | 151 |
| 1966 | 138 |
| 1967 | 146 |
| 1968 | 150 |
| 1969 | 141 |
| 1970 | 176 |
| 1971 | 189 |
| 1972 | 156 |
| 1973 | 158 |
| 1974 | 141 |
| 1975 | 159 |
| 1976 | 158 |
| 1977 | 156 |
| 1978 | 147 |
| 1979 | 171 |
| 1980 | 151 |
| 1981 | 170 |
| 1982 | 164 |
| 1983 | 144 |
| 1984 | 155 |
| 1985 | 155 |
| 1986 | 165 |
| 1989 | 163 |
| 1990 | 183 |
| 1991 | 163 |
| 1992 | 151 |
| 1993 | 144 |
| 1994 | 149 |
| 1995 | 144 |
| 1996 | 157 |
| 1998 | 177 |
| 1999 | 160 |
| 2000 | 156 |
| 2001 | 162 |
| 2002 | 170 |
| 2003 | 155 |
| 2004 | 194 |
| 2005 | 190 |
| 2006 | 141 |
| 2008 | 129 |
| 2009 | 174 |
| 2010 | 124 |
| 2011 | 188 |
| 2012 | 165 |
| 2013 | 162 |
| 2020 | 167 |
| 2021 | 185 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1943 | 17.6 °C |
| 1944 | 18.2 °C |
| 1945 | 17.9 °C |
| 1946 | 17.1 °C |
| 1947 | 18.1 °C |
| 1948 | 17.7 °C |
| 1949 | 18.2 °C |
| 1950 | 16.1 °C |
| 1951 | 16.8 °C |
| 1952 | 17.5 °C |
| 1953 | 18.2 °C |
| 1954 | 17.2 °C |
| 1955 | 19.0 °C |
| 1956 | 16.1 °C |
| 1957 | 17.7 °C |
| 1958 | 17.0 °C |
| 1960 | 18.0 °C |
| 1961 | 17.9 °C |
| 1962 | 17.3 °C |
| 1963 | 16.8 °C |
| 1964 | 17.6 °C |
| 1965 | 16.9 °C |
| 1966 | 16.5 °C |
| 1967 | 16.7 °C |
| 1968 | 17.4 °C |
| 1969 | 17.0 °C |
| 1970 | 17.5 °C |
| 1971 | 16.9 °C |
| 1972 | 16.1 °C |
| 1973 | 17.8 °C |
| 1974 | 16.9 °C |
| 1975 | 16.8 °C |
| 1976 | 16.9 °C |
| 1977 | 17.4 °C |
| 1978 | 16.9 °C |
| 1979 | 17.2 °C |
| 1980 | 17.5 °C |
| 1981 | 17.3 °C |
| 1982 | 16.7 °C |
| 1983 | 17.4 °C |
| 1984 | 17.2 °C |
| 1985 | 17.2 °C |
| 1986 | 17.4 °C |
| 1989 | 17.7 °C |
| 1990 | 17.5 °C |
| 1991 | 18.5 °C |
| 1992 | 16.6 °C |
| 1993 | 17.7 °C |
| 1994 | 17.5 °C |
| 1995 | 17.5 °C |
| 1996 | 17.5 °C |
| 1998 | 18.4 °C |
| 1999 | 18.5 °C |
| 2000 | 16.9 °C |
| 2001 | 18.3 °C |
| 2002 | 18.8 °C |
| 2003 | 17.8 °C |
| 2004 | 18.5 °C |
| 2005 | 20.0 °C |
| 2006 | 16.1 °C |
| 2007 | 11.2 °C |
| 2008 | 15.4 °C |
| 2009 | 17.4 °C |
| 2010 | 19.3 °C |
| 2011 | 18.7 °C |
| 2012 | 18.9 °C |
| 2013 | 17.6 °C |
| 2014 | 17.1 °C |
| 2016 | 18.0 °C |
| 2017 | 17.9 °C |
| 2018 | 18.2 °C |
| 2019 | 17.3 °C |
| 2020 | 17.5 °C |
| 2021 | 17.9 °C |
| 2022 | 18.2 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1943, Poultney's last spring frost has come about 2 days earlier per decade, on average. The frost-free season has grown by about 3 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Whitehall (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.