Hartford, CT 06081 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Hartford, CT?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/21, about 236 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 177 frost-free days later.
Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 Hartford, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Hartford before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Hartford's last frost
04/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hartford compares
Hartford's growing season runs about 177 days, ranking 25,971 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within CT, it ranks 278 of 391.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Hartford can differ from the 06081 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Hartford's frost date answer different questions.