Gardiner, ME 04345 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gardiner, ME?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 163 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gardiner in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Gardiner before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gardiner compares
About 163 days separate Gardiner's last and first frost, putting it 31,365 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within ME, it ranks 138 of 456.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Gardiner's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Gardiner's dates instead of trusting one.