Gardner, MA 01440 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Gardner, MA, ZIP 01440
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/02, about 247 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 163 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gardner in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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
Zone 5b around Gardner has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gardner compares
About 163 days separate Gardner's last and first frost, putting it 31,330 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MA, it ranks 443 of 712.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Gardner's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Gardner can differ from the 01440 normal.