Pittsfield, MA 01263 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Pittsfield, MA?
Around 05/05 is the usual last spring frost, about 250 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 152 frost-free days later.
Pittsfield sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Pittsfield before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/05 isn't a guarantee
05/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/23 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Pittsfield compares
Pittsfield's growing season runs about 152 days, ranking 34,690 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MA, it ranks 648 of 712.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Pittsfield can differ from the 01263 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Pittsfield's frost date answer different questions.