Barre, VT 05641 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Barre, VT?
Around 05/16 is the usual last spring frost, about 261 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/29, about 136 frost-free days later.
Barre sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Barre 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
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Barre compares
About 136 days separate Barre's last and first frost, putting it 37,659 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VT, it ranks 212 of 330.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Barre's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Barre's dates instead of trusting one.