Springfield, MA 01028 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Springfield, MA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/03, about 248 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 158 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Springfield in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Springfield before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Springfield compares
About 158 days separate Springfield's last and first frost, putting it 32,849 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MA, it ranks 538 of 712.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Springfield's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Springfield's dates instead of trusting one.