Rochester, NH 04027 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rochester, NH?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/16, roughly 261 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/30, about 136 frost-free days later.
Rochester sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 5 weeks of growing season left in Rochester before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Rochester's last frost
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Rochester compares
Rochester's growing season runs about 136 days, ranking 37,625 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NH, it ranks 207 of 260.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Rochester's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Rochester's dates instead of trusting one.