Sanford, ME 04002 Frost Dates
Sanford, ME: when does the frost end?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/16, roughly 261 days out. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 09/30, roughly 136 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sanford in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 5 weeks until Sanford's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 05/16 isn't a guarantee
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 05/02 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/29 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Sanford against the rest of the dataset
Sanford's growing season runs about 136 days, ranking 37,631 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within ME, it ranks 393 of 456.
Learn more
Before leaning on 04002's figures: the frost range explains how to read the range around Sanford's dates instead of trusting one, while local microclimates explains what one yard in Sanford can differ from the 04002 normal.