Fall River, MA 02746 planting calendar
- USDA zone
- 7a0 to 5 °F
- Last frost
- Apr 29avg, 32°F
- First frost
- Oct 15avg, 32°F
- Growing season
- 167days
Fall River, Massachusetts is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a. Its average last spring frost is around April 29 and the first fall frost around October 15, giving a growing season of about 167 days (NOAA 1991–2020 normals, 32°F, median). Start tender crops like tomatoes and peppers indoors weeks before the last frost and set them out afterward; sow hardy crops such as peas, spinach, and lettuce before it. The planner below turns those frost dates into a printable per-crop planting calendar.
Fall River planting calendar
Each crop's windows are counted from Fall River's average frost dates. hatched = start seeds indoors, solid green = plant out, teal = a fall sowing, and the terracotta dot marks the estimated first harvest. Ranges are extension-guide planning guidance, not guarantees.
- Start indoors
- Plant out
- Fall sowing
- First harvest
| Crop | Frost tolerance | Start indoors | Plant out | First harvest | Fall planting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Tender | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | May 6 – May 13 | Jul 5 – Jul 25 | — |
| Pepper | Very tender | Feb 18 – Mar 4 | May 13 – May 20 | Jul 12 – Aug 11 | — |
| Cucumber | Tender | Apr 1 – Apr 8 | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 25 – Jul 15 | — |
| Summer squash / zucchini | Tender | — | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 20 – Jul 5 | — |
| Bush bean | Tender | — | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 25 – Jul 5 | Aug 16 – Aug 26 |
| Sweet corn | Tender | — | Apr 29 – May 13 | Jun 28 – Jul 28 | — |
| Basil | Very tender | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 6 – May 13 | Jun 5 – Jun 20 | — |
| Lettuce | Half-hardy | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 16 – May 31 | Aug 2 – Aug 17 |
| Pea | Hardy | — | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | May 12 – May 27 | Jul 23 – Aug 7 |
| Spinach | Hardy | — | Mar 18 – Apr 1 | Apr 27 – May 7 | Aug 12 – Aug 22 |
| Carrot | Half-hardy | — | Apr 8 – Apr 15 | Jun 7 – Jun 27 | Jul 13 – Aug 2 |
| Broccoli | Half-hardy | Mar 4 – Mar 18 | Apr 1 – Apr 15 | May 26 – Jun 15 | Jul 18 – Aug 7 |
Data: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (public domain) and USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023. Planting windows synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides.
Frost & freeze dates
From NOAA's 1991–2020 Climate Normals at station USW00094726. The median (p50) is the average date; the 90%-safe column is the date the freeze has passed in about 9 years out of 10 (p10 for spring, p90 for fall) — the conservative date to plant after or harvest before.
| Threshold | Last spring — avg | Last spring — 90%-safe | First fall — avg | First fall — 90%-safe | Season (days) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 12 | May 27 | Oct 3 | Oct 18 | 144 |
| 32°F (freeze) | Apr 29 | May 15 | Oct 15 | Oct 31 | 167 |
| 28°F | Apr 15 | Apr 30 | Oct 28 | Nov 12 | 194 |
| 24°F | Apr 1 | Apr 16 | Nov 8 | Nov 27 | 221 |
32°F is the standard "freeze" line that damages tender crops; lighter 36°F frost can nip the most cold-sensitive plants, while hardy crops shrug off light frost down toward 28°F. Use the threshold that matches what you are protecting.
Growing degree days
Growing degree days (GDD) accumulate warmth above a base temperature over the year — a better predictor of crop development than the calendar alone. Warm-season crops need a long, warm GDD total; a short, cool GDD total favors greens and brassicas.
| Model | °F·days | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Base 50°F (warm-season) | 2,649 | standard warm-season base (tomato, corn, beans) |
| Base 40°F (cool-season) | 4,857 | cool-season crops (brassicas, greens) |
Hardiness zone 7a
Fall River sits in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map — meaning its average annual extreme minimum winter temperature is about 0 to 5 °F. That number tells you which perennials, shrubs, and trees reliably survive an average winter here; it does not set your planting dates, which come from the frost calendar above.
Explore more places in zone 7a, or see all USDA hardiness zones.
Frequently asked questions
- What USDA hardiness zone is Fall River?
- Fall River, Massachusetts is in USDA plant hardiness zone 7a on the 2023 map (average annual extreme minimum temperature 0 to 5 °F) — from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. See the methodology page for sources.
- When is the last frost in Fall River?
- The average (median) last spring frost at 32°F is around April 29, from NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals at the nearest reporting station. Roughly one year in ten the last frost is as late as May 15, so wait until then before setting out frost-tender plants if you want to be safe.
- When is the first fall frost in Fall River?
- The average first fall frost at 32°F is around October 15. That leaves a growing season of about 167 days between the average last spring and first fall frosts.
- When should I start tomatoes in Fall River?
- Start tomato seeds indoors about Mar 4 – Mar 18 and transplant them outside about May 6 – May 13, once the danger of frost has passed. Estimated first harvest is around Jul 5 – Jul 25.
- How long is the growing season in Fall River?
- About 167 days at the 32°F threshold (NOAA 1991–2020, median) — the span between the average last spring frost (~April 29) and the average first fall frost (~October 15). Cold-hardy crops extend usable time at both ends; frost-tender crops fit inside it.
Sources & method
Frost, freeze, growing-season, and growing-degree-day figures are NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 for station USW00094726 (New Bedford Muni Ap, 1.6 km away). The hardiness zone is the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023, matched to this location's ZIP. Planting windows are computed by counting from the average last and first frost using per-crop offsets synthesized from U.S. Cooperative Extension guides — the full method and citations are on the methodology page.