Marlborough, MA 01784 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Marlborough, MA?
Around 05/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 247 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/06, about 156 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Marlborough 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 Marlborough before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Marlborough's last frost
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 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 Marlborough compares
Marlborough's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,522 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MA, it ranks 622 of 712.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Marlborough can differ from the 01784 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Marlborough's frost date answer different questions.