Ludlow, VT 05730 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ludlow, VT?
Around 05/16 is the usual last spring frost, about 261 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 140 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 Ludlow, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Ludlow before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Ludlow's last frost
05/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ludlow compares
Ludlow's growing season runs about 140 days, ranking 37,095 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within VT, it ranks 174 of 330.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Ludlow's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Ludlow's dates instead of trusting one.