Bristol, CT 06781 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Bristol, CT?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/25, about 240 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/18, about 172 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 Bristol, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Bristol before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/25 isn't a guarantee
04/25 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Bristol compares
About 172 days separate Bristol's last and first frost, putting it 28,150 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CT, it ranks 327 of 391.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Bristol's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Bristol can differ from the 06781 normal.