Manchester, VT 05252 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Manchester, VT, ZIP 05252
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/13, about 258 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/29, about 137 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Manchester 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 Manchester 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
05/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 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 Manchester compares
About 137 days separate Manchester's last and first frost, putting it 37,547 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VT, it ranks 201 of 330.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Manchester can differ from the 05252 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Manchester's frost date answer different questions.