Essex Junction, VT 05495 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Essex Junction, VT, ZIP 05495
Around 04/29 is the usual last spring frost, about 244 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 169 frost-free days later.
Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Essex Junction, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5a around Essex Junction has about 7 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
04/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Essex Junction compares
Essex Junction's growing season runs about 169 days, ranking 29,384 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within VT, it ranks 18 of 330.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Essex Junction can differ from the 05495 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Essex Junction's frost date answer different questions.