Metuchen, NJ 08837 Frost Dates
Metuchen, NJ: when does the frost end?
Around 04/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 226 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/31, roughly 202 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Metuchen in Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 9 weeks until Metuchen's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 03/30 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 04/28 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Metuchen against the rest of the dataset
About 202 days separate Metuchen's last and first frost, putting it 17,163 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NJ, it ranks 394 of 906.
Learn more
Before leaning on 08837's figures: local microclimates explains what one yard in Metuchen can differ from the 08837 normal, while zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 7a and Metuchen's frost date answer different questions.