Rutland, VT 05777 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rutland, VT?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/15, about 260 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/27, about 132 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 Rutland, not a forecast for this year.
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
About 132 days separate Rutland's last and first frost, putting it 38,176 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VT, it ranks 273 of 330.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Rutland can differ from the 05777 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Rutland's frost date answer different questions.