Worcester, MA 01612 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Worcester, MA?
Around 04/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 238 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 181 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Worcester, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Worcester before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/23 isn't a guarantee
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Worcester compares
About 181 days separate Worcester's last and first frost, putting it 24,403 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MA, it ranks 228 of 712.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Worcester's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Worcester's dates instead of trusting one.