Rutland, VT 05737 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rutland, VT?
Around 05/15 is the usual last spring frost, about 260 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/27, about 132 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rutland 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
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Rutland before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Rutland's last frost
05/15 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 Rutland compares
At roughly 132 frost-free days, Rutland places 38,166 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within VT, it ranks 263 of 330.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Rutland can differ from the 05737 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Rutland's frost date answer different questions.