New Bedford, MA 02791 Frost Dates
When can you plant in New Bedford, MA?
Around 04/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 226 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 203 frost-free days later.
New Bedford sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 9 weeks of growing season left in New Bedford before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/11 isn't a guarantee
04/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How New Bedford compares
At roughly 203 frost-free days, New Bedford places 16,821 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MA, it ranks 81 of 712.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around New Bedford's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in New Bedford can differ from the 02791 normal.