Orleans, VT 05845 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Orleans, VT?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/14, roughly 259 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/30, about 138 frost-free days later.
Zone 4b (-25 to -20°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 Orleans, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Orleans before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/14 isn't a guarantee
05/14 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. 05/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Orleans compares
About 138 days separate Orleans's last and first frost, putting it 37,426 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within VT, it ranks 191 of 330.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4b and Orleans's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Orleans's dates instead of trusting one.