Sanford, ME 04061 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Sanford, ME, ZIP 04061
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/14, roughly 259 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/30, about 136 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sanford in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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
Zone 5a around Sanford has about 5 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Sanford compares
About 136 days separate Sanford's last and first frost, putting it 37,637 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within ME, it ranks 399 of 456.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Sanford can differ from the 04061 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Sanford's frost date answer different questions.