Cambridge, MA 02163 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Cambridge, MA?
Around 04/19 is the usual last spring frost, about 234 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/23, about 185 frost-free days later.
Cambridge sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Cambridge before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/19 isn't a guarantee
04/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/03 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Cambridge compares
Cambridge's growing season runs about 185 days, ranking 23,022 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MA, it ranks 174 of 712.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Cambridge's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Cambridge can differ from the 02163 normal.