Auburn, ME 04289 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Auburn, ME?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/06, roughly 251 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 148 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Auburn 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
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Auburn before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Auburn's last frost
05/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/24 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Auburn compares
About 148 days separate Auburn's last and first frost, putting it 35,653 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within ME, it ranks 307 of 456.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Auburn can differ from the 04289 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Auburn's frost date answer different questions.