FrostDateCheck

Augusta, ME 04989 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Augusta, ME?

Zone 5b

Around 05/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 247 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 159 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Augusta 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 Augusta before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

The actual range around Augusta's last frost

05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/23 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 Augusta compares

Augusta's growing season runs about 159 days, ranking 32,596 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within ME, it ranks 158 of 456.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Augusta can differ from the 04989 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Augusta's frost date answer different questions.